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By  BERTRAM  W.  H.  POOLE 


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1318    Chestnut    St.,      Philadelphia 


THE 


POSTAGE    STAMPS 


OF 


CANADA 

By  BERTRAM  W.  H.  POOLE 

Author    of     Various    Philatelic    Books 


SEVERN -WYLIE-JEWETT    CO. 
HANDBOOK   No.   20 


;    /;  'Price\?iS -.Cents   ' 


PUBLISHED     BY 

SEVERN -WYLIE-JEWETT    CO. 

Publishers  MekeeFs  Weekly  Stamp  News 

BOSTON,    MASS. 


GIFT  OF 


INDEX 


Page 

Introduction 

Chapter  I — Its  Postal  History  5 
Chapter  II — A  Postmaster's  Provisional    - 

Chapter  III— The  First  Issue  9 

Chapter  IV — The  Second  Issue  18 

Chapter  V— The  Perforated  Pence  Stamps  21 

Chapter  VI — The  First  "Cents"  Issue  24 

Chapter  VII— The  First  Dominion  Issue    -  28 

Chapter  VIII— The  Ic  Orange  of  1869  34 

Chapter  IX— The  Large  5c  Stamp  34 

Chapter  X— The  Small  "Cents"  Stamps  35 

Chapter  XI— The  20c  and  5t)c  Stamps  of  1893   -  40 

Chapter  XII— The  8c  Stamp  of  1893  -  41 

Chapter  XIII — The  Diamond  Jubilee  Issue  43 

Chapter  XIV— The  "Maple  Leaf"  Issue  of  1897  48 

Chapter  XV— The  "Numeral"  Issue  of  1898  50 

Chapter  XVI— The  '".Map"  Stamp  of  1898  52 

Chapter  XVII— The  "2  Cents"  Provisionals  54 

Chapter  XVIII— The  Bi-sected   Provisionals  56 

Chapter  XIX— The  2c  Carmine  -  57 

Chapter  XX— The  20c  Value  of  1900  -  58 

Chapter  XXI — The  Queen  Victoria  Seven  Cents  58 

Chapter  XXII — The  King  Edward  Issue  59 

Chapter  XXIII — The  Quebec  Tercentenary  Issue  63 

•*:••. 

Chapter  XXIV— King  George*  Stamps',  y  :-:;;-;   :   -  67 

Chapter  XXV— The  War  T.ax  ^tsynp's  "            '  -*""  69 

Chapter  XXVI— A  Prait)*5ejI;C€)mm^mor^tj^e  feffrtes  *•    -  70 

Chapter  XXVII— Official   Stamps  71 

Chapter  XXVIII— The  Special  Delivery  Stamp  72 

Chapter  XXIX— The  Registration   Stamps  74 

Chapter  XXX— The  Postage  Due  Stamps  77 
Chapter  XXXI— The  "Officially  Sealed"  Labels        -                          -       78 


THE   POSTAGE    STAMPS   OF   CANADA. 


By    BERTRAM    W.    H.    POOLE.  ' 


INTRODUCTION. 


Canada  was  originally  the  French  col- 
ony of  New  France,  which  comprised  the 
range  of  territory  as  far  west  as  the 
Mississippi,  including  the  Great  Lakes. 
After  the  war  of  independence  it  was 
confined  to  what  are  now  the  provinces 
of  Quebec  and  Ontario — then  known  as 
Upper  and  Lower  Canada.  At  the  con- 
federation (1867)  it  included  only  these 
two  provinces,  with  New  Brunswick  and 
Nova  Scotia ;  and  since  then  it  has  been 
extended  by  purchase  (1870),  by  acces- 
sion of  other  provinces  (British  Colum- 
bia in  1871  and  Prince  Edward  Island  in 
1873),  and  by  imperial  order  in  council 
(1880),  until  it  includes  all  the  north 
American  continent  north  of  United 
States  territory,  with  the  exception  of 
Alaska  and  a  strip  of  the  Labrador 
coast  administered  by  Newfoundland, 
which  still  remains  outside  the  Do- 
minion of  Canada.  On  the  Atlantic  the 
chief  indentations  which  break  its  shores 
are  the  Bay  of  Fundy  (remarkable  for 
its  tides),  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and 
Hudson  Bay  (a  huge  expanse  of  water 
with  an  area  of  about  350,000  square 
miles)  ;  and  the  Pacific  coast,  which  is 
small  relatively,  is  remarkably  broken  up 
by  fjord-like  indentations.  Off  the 
coast  are  many  islands,  some  of  them 
of  considerable  magnitude, — Prince  Ed- 
ward Is.,  Cape  Breton  Is.,  and  Anticosti 
being  the  most  considerable  on  the  At- 
lantic side,  Vancouver  and  Queen  Char- 
lotte Is.  on  the  Pacific ;  and  in  the  ex- 
treme north  is  the  immense  Arctic  archi- 
pelago, bound  in  perpetual  ice. 

The  surface  of  the  country  east  of  the 
great  lakes  is  diversified,  but  character- 
ised by  no  outstanding  features.  Two 
ranges  of  hills  skirt  the  St.  Lawrence — 
that  on  the  north,  the  Laurentians, 
stretching  3,500  miles  from  Lake  Su- 
perior to  the  Atlantic,  while  the  south- 
ern range  culminates  in  the  bold  capes 
and  cliffs  of  Gaspe.  The  St.  Lawrence 
and  its  tributaries  form  the  dominating 
physical  feature  in  this  section,  the 
other  rivers  being  the  St.  John,  the 


Miramichi,  and  the  Restigouche  in  New 
Brunswick.  Eastern  Canada  is  practi- 
cally the  Canadian  part  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence valley,  (330,000  square  miles),  and 
the  great  physical  feature  is  the  system 
of  lakes  with  an  area  of  90,000  square 
miles.  In  addition  to  the  tributaries  of 
the  St.  Lawrence  already  mentioned,  the 
Dominion  boasts  the  Fraser,  the  Thomp- 
son, and  the  greater  part  of  the  Colum- 
bia River  in  British  Columbia;  the  Atha- 
basca and  Peace  Rivers,  which  flow  into 
Lake  Athabasca,  and  out  of  it  as  the 
Slave  River,  which  in  its  turn  issues 
from  the  Great  Slave  Lake  and  flows 
into  the  Arctic  Ocean  as  the  Mackenzie 
River  (total  length  2,800  miles)  ;  the 
Albany  and  the  Churchill,  flowing  into 
Hudson  Bay ;  and  the  Nelson,  which  dis- 
charges from  Lake  Winnipeg  into  Hud- 
son Bay  the  united  waters  of  the  Assini- 
boine,  the  Saskatchewan,  the  Red  River 
and  the  Winnipeg. 

West  of  the  Great  Lakes  the  scenery 
is  less  varied.  From  the  lakes  to  the 
Rockies  stretches  a  vast  level  plain  of  a 
prairie  character,  slowly  rising  from  800 
feet  at  the  east  end  to  3,000  feet  at  the 
foothills  of  the  Rockies. 

The*  eastern  and  western  portions  of 
the  Dominion  are  heavily  wooded,  and 
comparatively  little  inroad  has  been 
made  on  the  forest  wealth  of  the  coun- 
try. It  is  estimated  that  there  are 
1.200,000  square  miles  of  woodland  and 
forest,  chiefly  spruce  and  pine,  including 
about  a  hundred  varieties ;  consequently 
the  industries  connected  with  the  forest 
are  of  great  importance,  especially  since 
the  development  of  the  pulp  industry. 
The  central  prairie  plain  is  almost  de- 
void of  forest.  Agriculture  is  the  domi- 
nant industry  in  Canada,  not  only  in 
the  great  fertile  plains  of  the  centre,  but 
also  on  the  lands  which  have  been 
cleared  of  forest  and  settled  in  other 
parts  of  the  Dominion. 

The  Canadian  climate  is  cold  in  winter 
and  warm  in  summer,  but  healthv  all  the 
year  round.  With  all  its  extremes  of 


M80824 


cold  it  permits  of  the  cultivation  in  the 
open  air  of  grapes,  peaches,  tobacco,  tc- 
matoes,  and  corn.  The  snow  is  an  es- 
sential condition  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  timber  industry,  the  means  of  trans- 
port in  winter,  the  protector  of  the  soil 
from  frost,  and  the  source  of  endless  en- 
joyment in  outdoor  sports. 

Thffreuch  £ajt£djans^a£e  almost  ex- 
clusive!^ Ithe  deg£ efccfcavrts^  o-jf  the  French 
in  Cana"da*m  1*768,  there  tieing  practically 
no  immigration,  from  France,  Tbe  French 
language  fejby  {statute,  riot1  by  treaty,  an 
•orftciaManguag^  in  'trie*  Etarrtmmn  Parlia- 
ment and  in  Quebec,  but  not  now  in  any 
other  province,  though  documents,  etc., 
may  for  convenience  be  published  in  it. 
English  is  understood  almost  every- 
where except  in  the  rural  parts  of  Que- 
bec, where  the  habitants  speak  a  patois 
which  has  preserved  many  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  17th  century  French. 

The  Indian  people,  numbering  a  little 
over  108,000  in  1902,  are  scattered 
throughout  the  Dominion.  They  are 
usually  located  o"n  reserves,  where 
efforts,  not  very  successful,  are  made  to 
interest  them  in  agriculture  and  indus- 
try. Many  of  them  still  follow  their 
ancestral  occupations  of  hunting  and 
fishing,  and  they  are  much  sought  after 
as  guides  in  the  sporting  centres.  The 
Dominion  government  exercises  a  good 
deal  of  parental  care  over  them  and  for 
them ;  but  the  race  is  stationary,  if  not 
declining. 

The  constitution  of  Canada  is  of  a 
federal  character,  midway  between  the 
British  and  United  States  constitutions. 
The  federated  provinces  retain  their  lo- 
cal legislatures.  The  Federal  Parliament 
closely  follows  the  British  model,  and 
the  cabinet  is  responsible  to  the  House 
of  Commons.  The  members  of  the  Sen- 
ate are  appointed  by  the  governor- 
general  in  council,  and  retain  their  seats 
for  life,  and  each  group  of  provinces  is 
entitled  to  so  many  senators.  The  num- 
bers of  the  commons  vary  according  to 
the  population.  The  local  legislatures 
generally  consist  of  one  house,  though 
Quebec  and  Nova  Scotia  still  retain  their 
upper  houses.  The  Federal  Parliament 
is  quinquennial,  the  local  legislatures 
quadrennial.  The  lieutenant-governors 
of  the  provinces  are  appointed  by  the 
governor-general  in  council.  The  gov- 
ernor-general (appointed  by  the  King, 
though  paid  by  Canada)  has  a  right  to 
disallow  or  reserve  bills  for  imperial 
consent;  but  the  veto  is  seldom  exer- 
cised, though  the  imperial  authorities 
practically  disallowed  temporarily  the 
preferential  clauses  of  1897.  The  Con- 
stitution of  Canada  can  be  altered  only 


by  Imperial  Parliament,  but  for  all  prac- 
tical purposes  Canada  has  complete  self- 
government. 

In  1534,  Jacques  Cartier  landed  on  the 
Gaspe  coast  of  Quebec,  of  which  he  took 
possession  in  the  name  of  Francis  I, 
King  of  France.  But  nothing  was  done 
towards  permanent  occupation  and 
settlement  until  1608,  when  Samuel  de 
Champlain,  who  had  visited  the  country 
in  1603  and  1604,  founded  the  city  of 
Quebec.  Meantime  French  settlements 
were  made  in  what  is  now  the  maritime 
provinces,  but  known  to  the  French  as 
Acadia.  France  claimed,  as  a  result  of 
this  settlement,  exclusive  control  of  the 
whole  immense  region  from  Acadia  west 
to  Lake  Superior,  and  down  the  Missis- 
sippi to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  But  the 
control  of  this  region  was  not  uncon- 
tested.  England  claimed  it  by  right  of 
prior  discovery,  based  mainly  on  the 
discovery  of  Newfoundland  in  1497  by 
John  Cabot. 

In  the  north  the  charter  granted  in 
1670  by  Charles  II  to  Prince  Rupert  to 
found  the  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  with 
exclusive  rights  of  trading  in  the  Hud- 
son Bay  basin,  was  maintained  till  1869, 
when,  on  a  payment  of  $1,500,000,  their 
territory  was  transferred  to  the  newly 
created  Dominion  of  Canada.  A  long 
struggle  was  carried  on  between  Eng- 
land and  France  for  the  dominion  of  the 
North  American  continent,  which  ended 
in  the  cession  of  Acadia  by  the  treaty 
of  Utrecht  in  1713,  and  the  cession  of 
Canada  by  the  treaty  of  Paris  in  1763. 
Of  all  its  Canadian  dependency  France 
retained  only  the  Islands  of  St.  Pierre 
and  Miquelon,  off  the  coast  of  New- 
foundland, and  the  vexatious  French- 
shore  rights. 

During  the  war  of  American  Inde- 
pendence Canada  was  invaded  by  the 
Americans,  and  the  end  of  the  war  saw 
a  great  influx  of  loyalists  from  the 
United  States,  and  the  formation  of  two 
new  colonies — New  Brunswick  and  Up- 
per Canada  (now  Ontario).  The  treaty 
of  peace  in  1783  took  away  from  Canada 
territory  now  included  within  Minneso- 
ta, Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois  and 
Wisconsin.  In  1791,  owing  to  differ- 
ences of  race,  Upper  Canada  was  separ- 
ated from  Lower  Canada ;  but  discon- 
tent resulted  in  rebellion  in  1837-8  which 
occasioned  Lord  Durham's  mission  and 
report.  The  results  of  that  were  the 
granting  of  responsible  government  to 
the  colonists,  and  in  1840  the  re-union 
of  the  two  provinces.  But  the  different 
elements,  British  and  French  Canadians, 
worked  no  better  together  than  they  had 
done  while  separated ;  and  in  1867,  as 


an  escape  from  the  deadlocks  which 
occurred,  confederation  was  consum- 
mated. After  the  War  of  Independence 
the  history  of  Canada  is  chiefly  con- 
cerned with  the  gradual  removal  of  the 
commercial  preferences  she  had  en- 
joyed in  the  English  market,  and  the 
gradual  concessicn  of  complete  powers 
of  self-government. 

The  half-breeds  of  the  northwest 
broke  out  in  rebellion  in  1869-70,  but  it 
collapsed  as  soon  as  the  forces  led  by 
Colonel  Wolseley  reached  Fort  Garry  on 
Winnipeg.  Riel,  the  leader,  escaped,  to 
return  later  and  foment  another  out- 


break in  1885.  This  proved  more  dan- 
gerous but  was  eventually  suppressed 
and  Riel  executed.  The  chief  events 
since  have  been  the  Halifax  award 
(1888),  which  justified  the  Canadian 
contention  against  the  United  States  in- 
terference with  fisheries.  The  Behring 
Sea  award  (1897)  settled  the  sealing 
difficulty;  and  a  joint  commission  met  at 
Quebec  in  1898  to  determine  all  out- 
standing questions  between  Canada  and 
the  United  States.  In  1903  these  reached 
a  final  solution  in  the  Alaskan  Boundary 
Commission's  settlement  of  the  frontier 
line  between  British  Columbia  and 
Alaska. 


CHAPTER  I. — Its  Postal  History. 


The  Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  for 
August,  1868,  contained  an  interesting 
article  on  the  history  of  the  Canadian 
Post-office,  largely  compiled  from  infor- 
mation given  in  the  "Canadian  Postal 
Guide/'  which  we  cannot  do  better  than 
quote  in  full. 

The  earliest  records  of  the  administra- 
tion of  the  post-office  in  Canada,  are 
dated  1750,  at  which  period  the  cele- 
brated Benjamin  Franklin  was  Deputy 
Postmaster-General  of  North  America. 
At  the  time  of  his  appointment,  the  rev- 
enue of  the  department  was  insufficient 
to  defray  his  salary  of  $1500  per  annum, 
but  under  his  judicious  management,  not 
only  was  the  postal  accommodation  in 
the  provinces  considerably  extended,  but 
the  revenue  so  greatly  increased,  that 
ere  long  the  profit  for  one  year,  which 
he  remitted  to  the  British  Treasury, 
amounted  to  $15,000. 

In  the  evidence  given  by  Franklin  be- 
fore the  House  of  Commons  in  the  year 
1766,  in  regard  to  the  extent  of  the  post- 
office  accommodation  in  North  America, 
he  made  the  following  statement: — 

The  posts  generally  travel  along  the 
sea  coasts,  and  only  in  a  .few  cases  do 
they  go  back  into  the  country.  Be- 
tween Quebec  and  Montreal  there  is 
only  one  post  per  month.  The  inhabi- 
tants live  so  scattered  and  remote  from 
each  other  in  that  vast  country,  that 
the  posts  cannot  be  supported  amongst 
them.  The  English  colonies,  too,  along 
the  frontier,  are  very  thinly  settled. 

In  1774,  Franklin  was  recalled,  and  the 
following  year  the  War  of  Independence 
broke  out,  and  the  office  was  filled  by 
Mr.  Hugh  Finlay,  who  had,  under  his 
predecessor,  been  postmaster  at  Quebec. 

Canada  is  divided  into  Upper  and 
Lower.  From  a  Quebec  almanack  of 


1796,  we  glean  that  there  were  seven 
offices  in  the  former  and  five  in  the  lat- 
ter. Mr.  Finlay  is  designated  as  "Depu- 
ty Postmaster-General  of  His  Majesty's 
Province  of  Canada." 

At  that  time  mails  were  dispatched 
monthly  to  England,  and  semi-weekly 
between  Quebec  and  Montreal,  or  Hali- 
fax. At  Baie  des  Chaleurs  the  visits  of 
the  postman  must,  we  conclude,  have 
been  few  and  far  between,  as  they  were 
only  favored  with  a  mail  "as  occasion 
offered". 

In  1800,  Mr.  George  Heript  succeeded 
Mr.  Finlay.  At  this  time  Prince  Edward 
Island,  Nova  Scotia,  and  New  Bruns- 
wick, were  all  under  the  authority  of 
the  Canadian  administration. 

The  following  is  taken  from  the  ad- 
vertising column  of  the  Upper  Quebec 
Gazette,  printed  in  1807:— 

The  mail  for  Upper  Canada  will  be 
dispatched  from  the  post-office  at 
Montreal,  on  the  following  days,  to 
wit : 

Monday,  14th  January. 
Monday,  12th  February. 
Monday,  12th  March. 
Monday,     7th  April — the  last  trip. 
A    courier    from    Kingston   may   be 
looked  for  here  in  14  or  15  days  from 
the  above  periods,  where  he  will  re- 
main 2  or  3  days,  and  then  return  to 
Kingston. 

Another  courier  will  proceed  from 
this  with  the  Niagara  mail,  via  Messrs. 
Harts',  where  the  Sandwich    (co.  Es- 
sex)   letters    will   be    left,    both    from 
Niagara     and    this    'till    the    courier 
comes  from  there  to  return  with  them. 
Letters  put  into  the  post-office  will 
be  forwarded  any  time  by 
W.  ALLAN. 
Acting  Deputy  Postmaster. 


Mr.  Heriot  resigned  in  1816,  and  was 
succeeded  by  Mr.  D.  Sutherland,  who, 
on  his  accession  to  office,  found  Nova 
Scotia  and  Prince  Edward  Island  wholly 
withdrawn  from  the  Canada  charge. 
New  Brunswick,  however,  continued  to 
be  included  in  it.  This  appears  also  to 
have  been  withdrawn  in  1824,  so  that 
from  that  date  until  just  lately,  we  have 
to  do  with  Canada  proper. 

In  1827  there  were  101  post-offices, 
and  2,368  miles  of  established  post-route. 
The  number  of  miles  of  mail-travel  was 
455,000.  The  letters  that  year  were  esti- 
mated at  340,000,  and  newspapers,  400,- 
000.  From  the  Canadian  Postmaster- 
General's  report  for  1865,  now  lying  be- 
fore us,  we  find  the  number  of  letters 
had  increased  to  12,000,000;  the  miles 
of  annual  mail-travel  was  6,350,000,  the 
mails  being  carried  regularly  over  1,931 
miles  of  railway  route. 

The  following  extract  from  the  Que- 
bec Mercury,  published  on  July  18,  1829, 
conveys   some  idea  of  the  postal  com- 
munication with  England  at  that  period : 
No  later  advices  have  been  received 
from    Europe    since    our    last.     Some 
further    extracts    from    the    London 
papers,  to  31st  May,  inclusive,  brought 
to  New  York  by  the  Corinthian,  will 
be  found  in  another  part  of  this  num- 
ber. 

In  the  Montreal  Courant,  dated  Sep- 
tember   2nd,    1829,    was    the    following 
paragraph,     showing    the    improvement 
which  had  been  effected  in  the  communi- 
cation between  Prescott  and  that  city : — 
EXPEDITIOUS   TRAVELLING. — On   Sat- 
urday last,  the  Upper  Canada  line  of 
stages    performed    the    journey    from 
Prescott  to  this  city  in  about  17  hours, 
leaving  the  former  place  at  a  little  be- 
fore 3  a.  m.,  and  arriving  here  a  few 
minutes  before  8  in  the  evening.    Not 
many  years  ago  this  journey  occupied 
two,   and   sometimes   three   days,   but 
owing  to  the  great  improvements  made 
by    Mr.    Dickinson,    the    enterprising 
proprietor,   by   putting   steamboats   on 
the  lakes   St.  Francis  and   St.  Louis, 
and   keeping    his    horses    in    excellent 
condition,  it  is  now  performed  in  little 
more  than  one-third  of  the  time. 
Even  so  late  as  1833,  newspaper  pro- 
prietors   found    it    (particularly    in    the 
Upper  Province)  better  to  employ  their 
own   couriers.     As   a   proof   of  this   we 
transcribe     from    the     Queenston     (Ni- 
agara)   Colonial  Advocate,  of  that  year 
the  following  advertisement : — 

POST-RIDER  WANTED  IMMEDIATELY. 
The    proprietor    of    this    newspaper 
wishes  to  contract  with  a  steady  man 


(who  can  find  and  uphold  his  own 
horse)  to  deliver  it  to  the  subscribers 
once  a  week  during  the  winter,  on  the 
route  between  York  and  Niagara,  via 
Ancaster. 

Mr.  Thomas  A.  Stayner  was  post- 
master in  1841,  and  through  his  recom- 
mendation a  uniform  rate  of  Is  2d  ster- 
ling, per  half  ounce,  was  adopted  be- 
tween any  place  in  Canada  and  the 
mother  country.  About  this  time  regu- 
lar steam  communication  across  the  At- 
lantic was  established. 

The  transfer  of  the  Canadian  post- 
office  from  the  control  of  the  imperial 
authorities  to  the  Colonial  government, 
was  effected  April  6th,  1851.  Mr.  Stay- 
ner then  resigned,  and  the  office  was 
filled  by  the  Hon.  James  Morris,  who 
was  the  first  Postmaster-General.  This 
may  be  termed  the  red-letter  year  of  the 
Canadian  post-office.  In  the  first  place, 
the  postage,  which  had  hitherto  been 
according  to  distance  and  had  averaged 
15  cents  on  each  letter,  was  reduced  to 
a  uniform  rafe  of  5  cents  per  half  ounce. 
The  newspaper  charge  was  also  consid- 
erably reduced.  Within  a  year  after,  the 
number  of  letters  transmitted  through 
the  post  had  increased  75  per  cent.  The 
operation  of  the  department  was  greatly 
extended,  and  last,  but  most  decidedly 
not  least,  was  the  introduction  of  post- 
age stamps.  In  February,  1855,  the 
money-order  system  was  first  begun,  and 
has  within  the  last  few  years  been  great- 
ly extended.  Letters  seem  to  have  been 
first  registered  in  1856.  In  October  of 
that  year  the  Grand  Trunk  Railway  was 
completed  as  far  as  Toronto  so  that,  in 
connection  with  the  Great  Western,  an 
unbroken  line  of  postal  communication 
was  established  between  Quebec  in  the 
east  and  Windsor  in  the  west. 

The  decimal  svstem  of  coinage  was 
introduced  in  1859 ;  this,  of  course,  as  is 
well  known,  necessitated  a  new  issue  of 
postal  labels. 

We  now  arrive  at  the  issue  of  labels 
for  the  new  Dominion.  The  post-office 
act  was  passed  on  the  21st  of  December, 
1867,  and  came  into  operation  the  1st 
of  April  last.  The  internal  rate  is  re- 
duced from  5  cents  to  3  cents  the  half 
ounce;  but  the  postage  to  this  country 
remains  unchanged. 

The  following  is  the  order  for  the  is- 
sue of  the  new  labels : — 

POSTAGE  STAMPS. 

To  enable  the  public  to  prepay  con- 
veniently by  postage  stamp  the  fore- 
going rates,  the  following  denomina- 
tions of  postage  stamps  for  use 
throughout  the  Dominion,  have  been 


prepared,  and  will  be  supplied  to  post- 
masters for  sale: — 

Half-cent  stamps,  one-cent  ditto, 
two-cent  ditto,  three-cent  ditto,  six- 
cent  ditto,  twelve-and-a-half-cent  dit- 
to, fifteen-cent  ditto,  all  bearing  as  a 
device  the  effigy  of  Her  Majesty. 

The  postage  stamps  now  in  use  in 
the  several  provinces  may  be  accepted, 
as  at  present,  in  prepayment  of  letters, 
etc.,  for  a  reasonable  time  after  the  1st 
of  April ;  but  from  and  after  that  date 
all  issues  and  sales  to  the  public  will 
be  of  the  new  denomination. 
Continuing    the    postal    history    from 
where  the  article  in  the  Stamp  Collec- 
tor's Magazine  concludes  we  find  that  in 
1869    the    color    of    the    Ic    value    was 
changed  to  yellow  as  it  was  found  that 
the  brown-red  color  was  too  easily  con- 
fused with  the  red  of  the  3c.     Early  in 
the  following  year  the  3c  denomination 
appeared  in  a  reduced  size  to  be  followed 
about  April  by  the  Ic  and  it  was,  natur- 
ally, presumed  that  the  whole  set  would 
appear  in  this  form.     Two  years  elapsed, 
however,  before  further  additions  were 
made  for  it  was  not  until  1872  that  the 
2c  and  6c  values  appeared. 

In  1874,  an  entirely,  new  value — 10 
cents — was  issued  and  in  1875  a  5c  stamp 
made  its  appearance  in  the  large  size  of 
the  1868  series.  Mr.  C.  A.  Howes,  in 
his  admirable  monograph  on  the  stamps 
of  Canada,  explains  the  belated  appear- 
ance of  this  label  as  follows : — "The  die 
of  this  large  5  cent  stamp  had  been  en- 
graved in  1867  with  the  other  values  of 
the  first  Dominion  series,  but  as  there 
were  no  rates  requiring  such  a  denomina- 
tion in  the  set,  it  was  not  issued.  When 
in  1875  the  need  for  a  5  cent  value  arose, 
the  unused  die  was  employed  to  make  a 
plate  for  temporary  use,  until  a  new  die 
conforming  in  size  and  design  with  the 
small  stamps  could  be  prepared."  This 
large  5  cent  stamp  had  a  short  life  of 
about  four  months  when  it  was  super- 
seded by  the  5c  value  in  the  same  size 
as  the  other  denominations  of  1869-73. 
In  1882,  the  ^c  value  was  reduced  in 
size  so  that  this  stamp,  as  in  the  case  of 
its  predecessor  of  1868,  was  smaller  than 
the  other  denominations.  From  that  date 
until  1892  no  further  changes  were  made 
so  far  as  new  designs  or  values  were 
concerned  though  some  striking  altera- 
tions in  shade  took  place,  notably  in  the 
case  of  the  6c  and  lOc  values. 

In  1892,  20c  and  50c  stamps  were  is- 
sued for  use  on  heavy  packages.  These 
not  only  differed  in  design  from  the 
other  stamps  of  the  series  then  current 


but  were  also  very  much  larger.  In  1893 
an  8c  stamp  was  issued  which  was  used 
for  prepayment  of  postage  and  the  reg- 
istration fee  and  upon  its  advent  the 
special  registration  stamps  ceased  to  be 
printed  though  existing  stocks  were,  pre- 
sumably, used  up.  In  1897,  the  Diamond 
Jubilee  of  Queen  Victoria  was  cele- 
brated by  the  issue  of  a  special  series  of 
stamps  comprising  no  less  than  sixteen 
values  ranging  all  the  way  from  J^c  to 
$5..  As  to  the  utility,  to  say  nothing  of 
the  necessity,  of  some  of  the  higher  de- 
nominations perhaps  the  less  said  the 
better  for  before  and  since  Canada  has 
managed  to  get  along  very  well  with  a 
highest  regular  denomination  of  50c. 

In  the  latter  months  of  the  same  year, 
and  early  in  1898  a  new  set  was  issued 
in  a  uniform  design  showing  the  Jubilee 
portrait  of  the  Queen.  This  is  known 
as  the  maple  leaf  issue  from  the  fact 
that  the  lower  angles  are  ornamented 
with  maple  leaves  and  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  a  modified  design  which  almost 
immediately  replaced  it  which  had  num- 
erals in  the  lower  corners. 

The  Christmas  of  1898  was  marked  by 
the  issuance  of  the  celebrated  2c  map 
stamp  with  its  proud  motto  "We  hold  a 
vaster  Empire  than  has  been".  This 
stamp  was  issued  to  mark  the  intro- 
duction of  Imperial  Penny  Postage,  and 
one  consequence  of  the  reduction  in  the 
postal  rate  was  so  to  reduce  the  demand 
for  the  3c  value  that  in  order  to  use  up 
existing  supplies  more  quickly  they  were 
overprinted  "2  cents". 

In  1899,  the  color  of  the  2c  stamp  was 
changed  from  purple  to  carmine,  thus 
conforming  to  Postal  Union  regulations, 
in  December,  1900,  a  20c  stamp  of  the 
type  of  1898  was  issued  on  the  final  ex- 
haustion of  the  stock  of  the  1893  type; 
and  in  1902  a  7c  value  was  issued  in 
place  of  the  8c  for  combined  use  in  pay- 
ment of  registration  and  postage. 

In  1903,  Ic,  2c,  5c,  7c,  and  lOc  values 
were  issued  bearing  King  Edward's  por- 
trait, a  year  later  the  20c  value  in  the 
same  type  was  placed  on  sale,  and  in 
1908,  the  stock  of  the  old  50c  stamps  of 
1893  having  at  last  been  used  up,  a  King 
Edward  stamp  of  that  value  was  issued. 
In  the  same  year  the  three  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  founding  of  Quebec 
by  Champlain  was  celebrated  by  the  is- 
sue of  a  special  set  of  stamps  these  be- 
ing of  the  same  large  size  as  the  Jubilee 
series  of  1897,  but  with  a  diffrent  design 
for  each  denomination,  while  in  1912  a 
new  series  bearing  the  portrait  of  King 
George  V  made  its  bow  and  this  com- 
pletes Canada's  postal  history  to  date. 


CHAPTER  II. — A  Postmaster's  Provisional. 


Postage  stamps  were  first  placed  on 
sale  to  the  public  in  Canada  on  April 
23rd,  1851,  as  we  shall  show  later,  but, 
according  to  an  interesting  article  which 
appeared  in  the  London  Philatelist  for 
June,  1904,  it  seems  possible  that  at  least 
one  postmaster  anticipated  events  slight- 
ly by  issuing  a  stamped  envelope  of  his 
own  shortly  before  the  regular  govern- 
mental stamps  were  ready.  It  will  per- 
haps simplify  matters  to  reproduce  the 
article  in  its  original  form,  viz. : — 
CANADA  :  HAND-STAMPED  3o  ENVELOPE 

OF  1851. 

We  are  indebted  to  Mr.  E.  B.  Green- 
shields,  of  Montreal,  for  the  following 
very  interesting  information  : — 

The  following  facts  may  be  of  in- 
terest to  collectors  of  the  stamps  of 
British  North  America.  Some  time 
ago  a  cover  was  offered  to  me,  which 
seemed  to  me  to  be  absolutely  genuine, 
yet  I  had  never,  up  to  that  time,  heard 
of  such  envelopes  being  in  existence. 
This  letter  was  posted  in  New  Carlisle, 
Gaspe,  Lower  Canada,  on  April  7th, 
1851,  and  was  stamped  "Three  Pence" 
in  two  lines,  inside  a  square,  with  a 
black  border  of  neat  design  around 
the  sides.  Across  this  was  written, 
"Letter  R.  W.  Kelly  Apl.  1851". 
The  letter  was  addressed  to  Toronto, 
C.  W.,  and  on  the  other  side  was 
stamped  the  date  the  letter  was  re- 
ceived, "Apl.  16  1851".  I  sent  the 
envelope  to  Mr.  Donald  A.  King,  of 
Halifax,  and  received  the  following 
reply  from  him: — 

HALIFAX,  N.  S.,  February  22nd,  1904. 
"Dear  Sir, — I  have  yours  of  19th 
inst.  with  cover,  and  am  much  obliged 
for  your  kindness  in  permitting  me  to 
have  a  look  at  it.  It  is  new  to  me.  I 
have  no  doubt  it  is  absolutely  genuine, 
and  probably  was  made  by  the  Post- 
master at  New  Carlisle  to  save  trouble 
in  stamping  the  letter  '3d'  as  was  then 
the  custom.  It  is  just  possible  that  the 
writer  (whose  name  appears  to  be  en- 
dorsed on  the  envelope)  was  the  Post- 
master there.  A  reference  to  the  Post- 
master-General's report  for  that  year 
would  give  his  name.  As  far  as  my 
memory  serves  me,  the  Canadian 
stamps  were  not  then  in  issue,  though 
an  advance  circular  may  have  been 
sent  out.  I  have  shown  the  cover  to 
a  friend  of  mine  who  is  an  expert  in 
typography,  and  he  assures  me  that 
the  printing  is  as  old  as  dated,  and 
that  such  type  and  border  could  not 


be  procured  now  at  any  cost.  The 
only  thing  that  I  have  seen  that  re- 
sembles it  in  any  way  was  a  cover 
from  Prince  Edward  Island,  prepaid 
with  a  square  of  white  paper  stamped 
3d  and  cancelled.  This  was  an  adhe- 
sive, and  used  some  years  after  stamps 
were  in  use.  As  in  your  case,  it  had 
been  recognised  as  paying  postage. 
As  to  the  value  of  your  cover,  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  say,  but  very 
considerable  to  any  collector  of  British 
North  America. 

Yours  faithfully, 

DONALD  A.  KING." 

Following  up  the  clue  given  to  me 
by  Mr.  King,  I  wrote  to  the  Post 
Office  Department  at  Ottawa,  and  re- 
ceived the  following  courteous  an- 
swer : — 

OTTAWA,  2nd  March,  1904. 

"Sir, — I  am  directed  to  acknowledge 
receipt  of  your  communication  of  the 
26th  ultimo,  inquiring  whether  R.  W. 
Kelly  was  Postmaster  of  New  Car- 
lisle, Co.  Gaspe,  Quebec,  in  1851,  and 
in  reply  am  directed  to  inform  you 
that  R.  W.  Kelly,  doubtless  the  same 
man,  was  Postmaster  of  New  Car- 
lisle in  1851.  Owing  to  the  incomplete- 
ness of  the  early  records  of  the 
department,  which  was  then  under  the 
direction  of  the  British  Office,  the  date 
of  Mr.  Kelly's  appointment  cannot  be 
ascertained.  He  appears  to  have  been 
Postmaster  from  1851,  however,  until 
his  resignation  on  the  9th  April,  1855. 

As  regards  your  inquiry  as  to 
whether  postage  stamps  were  used  on 
the  7th  April,  1851,  and  your  state- 
ment that  you  have  an  envelope  sent 
on  that  date  from  New  Carlisle  to 
Toronto  with  Three  Pence'  printed  on 
it,  inside  a  fancy  border,  I  have  to 
say  that  postage  stamps  were  issued  to 
the  public  for  the  first  time  on  the 
23rd  April,  1851,  and  that  stamped  en- 
velopes were  not  issued  until  some 
years  later.  The  stamped  envelope  to 
which  you  refer  may  have  been  an 
envelope  so  stamped  on  the  prepay- 
ment in  the  New  Carlisle  Post  Office, 
of  three  pence,  the  required  charge  for 
postage. 

I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 
WILLIAM   SMITH,  Secretary." 

It  will  be  noted  from  the  conclusion 
of  this  letter  that,  according  to  the 
department  at  Ottawa,  one  might  in- 
fer that  the  use  of  such  a  stamp  would 
not  be  irregular.  This  is  confirmed  by 


the  following  extract  from  a  reply  to 
a  letter  a  friend  of  mine  wrote  to 
Ottawa  at  my  request : — 

OTTAWA,  March  2nd,  1904. 

"I     took    those    questions    of     Mr. 

Greenshields  over  to  Mr.  of  the 

Post  Office  Department.  He  tells  me 
that  before  the  first  issue  of  stamps, 
which  took  place  on  the  23rd  of  April, 
1851,  each  Postmaster  had  a  steel 
stamp  which  he  used  to  mark  the 
amount  prepaid  on  the  letter.  These 
stamps  were  of  different  patterns,  and 
it  is  probably  the  impression  of  one  of 
them  that  appears  on  Mr.  Green- 
shield's  envelope.  In  some  of  the 
smaller  post-offices  they  continued  to 
use  these  stamps  as  late  as  1875. 

It  is  rather  a  singular  coincidence 
that  if  the  inquiry  had  been,  regard- 
ing the  position  of  Postmaster,  more 
than  one  day  earlier,  the  Canadian 
records  would  not  have  shown 
whether  the  man  named  had  held 
office  or  not,  the  reason  being  that  it 
was  on  the  6th  of  April,  1851,  that  the 
Post  Office  Department  was  trans- 
ferred from  the  Imperial  Government, 
and  all  records  prior  to  that  date  are 
in  the  possession  of  the  Imperial  au- 
thorities." 


It  seems  strange  that  more  of  these 
covers    have    not    been    found.     Such 
well-known  authorities  on  the  stamps 
of    British    North    America    as    Mr. 
Lachlan  Gibb  and  Mr.  William  Patter- 
son, of  Montreal,  and  Mr.  Donald  A. 
King,   of   Halifax,   had   not   seen   any 
until  I  consulted  them  about  this  one. 
I   think  it  is  very  interesting  to  hear 
of  a  stamped  envelope  like  this  being 
used  by  the  Post  Office  just  before  the 
issue  of  postage  stamps. 
So   far  as  we  have  been  able  to  find 
out   the   above   constitutes   all   that   has 
been  published   regarding  this  envelope. 
We  can  find  no  further  mention  of  it  in 
the   columns   of  the  London  Philatelist 
or  of  any  other  journal  published  since 
1904  nor  does   Mr.   Howes  so  much   as 
refer    to    it    in    his    recently    published 
monograph    on    Canada's    postal    issues. 
Yet,  on  the  face  of  it,  the  matter  seems 
one  worthy  of  extended  investigation  by 
some    Canada   specialist    or   other.      Its 
history,    as    given    above,    is    similar    in 
many  respects  to  the  history  of  many  of 
the  much  sought  after  Postmaster's  pro- 
visional stamps  of  the  United  States  and 
there  is  a  possibility  that  this  envelope 
may  represent  a  legitimate  postmaster's 
provisional. 


CHAPTER  III. — The   First   Issue. 


In  common  with  the  other  Colonies 
of  British  North  America  Canada  was 
granted  the  privilege  of  administrating 
its  own  postal  service  in  "1850,  and  in 
the  same  year  an  Act  was  passed  pro- 
viding for  the  change.  It  is  hardly 
necessary  to  quote  this  Act  in  full 
though  the  following  extracts  are  of 
interest : — 

CAP.  VII. 

An  Act  to  provide  for  the  transfer 
of  the  management  of  the  Inland  Posts 
to  the  Provincial  Government,  and  for 
the  Regulation  of  the  said  department. 

II. — And  be  it  enacted,  that  the  In- 
land Posts  and  Post  Communications 
in  this  Province  shall,  so  far  as  may 
be  consistent  with  the  Acts  of  the  Par- 
liament of  the  United  Kingdom  in 
force  in  this  Province,  be  exclusively 
under  Provincial  management  and 
control ;  the  revenues  arising  from  the 
duties  and  postage  dues  receivable  by 
the  officers  employed  in  managing  such 
Posts  and  Post  Communications  shall 
form  part  of  the  Provincial  Revenue, 
unless  such  monies  belong  of  right  to 


the  United  Kingdom,  or  to  some  other 
Colony,  or  to  some  Foreign  State,  and 
the  expenses  of  management  shall  be 
defrayed  out  of  Provincial  Funds,  and 
that  the  Act  passed  in  the  Eighth  year 
of  Her  Majesty's  Reign,  and  entitled 
An  Act  to  provide  for  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Customs,  and  of  matter 
relative  to  the  collection  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Revenue,  shall  apply  to  the  said 
Posts  and  Post  Communications,  and 
to  the  officers  and  persons  employed  in 
managing  the  same,  or  in  collecting  or 
accounting  for  the  duties  and  dues 
aforesaid,  except  in  so  far  as  any  pro- 
vision of  the  said  Act  may  be  insus- 
ceptible of  such  application,  or  may  be 
inconsistent  with  any  provision  of  this 
Act. 

VIII. — And  in  conformity  to  the 
agreement  made  as  aforesaid  between 
the  Local  Governments  of  the  several 
Colonies  of  British  North  America,  be 
it  enacted  that  the  Provincial  Postage 
on  letters  and  packets  not  being  news- 
papers, printed  pamphlets,  magazines 
or  books,  entitled  to  pass  at  'a  lower 
rate,  shall  not  exceed  Threepence  cur- 


rency  per  half-ounce,  for  any  distance 
whatsoever  within  this  Province,  any 
fraction  of  a  half-ounce  being  charge- 
able as  a  half-ounce;  that  no  transit 
postage  shall  be  charged  on  any  letter 
or  packet  passing  through  this  Prov- 
ince, or  any  part  thereof,  to  any 
other  Colony  in  British  North  Ameri- 
ca, unless  it  be  posted  in  this  Pro- 
vince, and  the  sender  choose  to  prepay 
it;  nor  on  any  letter  or  packet  from 
any  such  Colony,  if  prepaid  there;  that 
Twopence  sterling  the  half-ounce  shall 
remain  as  the  rate  in  operation  as  re- 
gards letter  by  British  mails,  to  be 
extended  to  countries  having  Postal 
Conventions  with  the  United  King- 
dom, unless  Her  Majesty's  Govern- 
ment in  the  United  Kingdom  shall  see 
fit  to  allow  this  rate  to  be  changed  to 
Threepence  currency ;  that  the  prepay- 
ment of  Provincial  Postage  shall  be 
optional. 

That  all  Provincial  Postage  received 
within  the  Province  shall  be  retained 
as  belonging  to  it,  and  that  all  Pro- 
vincial Postage  received  within  any 
other  Colony  of  the  British  North 
American  Colonies  may  be  retained, 
as  belonging  to  such  Colony.  That 
no  privilege  of  franking  shall  be 
allowed  as  regards  the  Provincial 
Postage.  That  Provincial  Stamps  for 
the  prepayment  of  postage  may  be 
prepared  under  the  orders  of  the  Gov- 
ernor in  Council^  which  stamps  shall 
be  evidence  of  the  prepayment  of  Pro- 
vincial Postage  to  the  amount  men- 
tioned on  such  stamps;  and  that  such 
stamps,  prepared  under  the  direction 
of  the  proper  authorities  in  the  other 
British  North  American  Colonies, 
shall  be  allowed  in  this  Province  as 
evidence  of  the  prepayment  of  Pro- 
vincial Postage  in  such  other  Colonies 
respectively,  on  the  letters  or  packets 
to  which  they  are  affixed  and  which 
have  been  mailed  there. 

The  passage  of  the  above  Act  and  its 
approval  by  the  Imperial  government 
was  followed  by  a  notice  to  postmasters 
which  gave  the  date  at  which  the  trans- 
fer of  the  postal  system  from  Imperial 
to  Provincial  authority  was  to  take 
effect,  gave  more  explicit  instructions 
with  regard  to  rates  of  postage,  and 
stated  that  postage  stamps  were  being 
prepared.  Mr.  Howes  gives  the  chief 
provisions  of  this  Notice  as  follows : — 

NOTICE  TO  POSTMASTERS. 

GENERAL  POST  OFFICE, 
MONTREAL,  itfh  March,  1851. 
Sir:— 

I  am  commanded  by  His  Excellency 
the  Governor  General,  to  communi- 


cate to  you  the  following  instructions, 
for  your  guidance  in  the  performance 
of  your  duties,  under  the  New  Post 
Omce  Law  of  the  13th  and  14th  Viet., 
chap.  17,  passed  at  the  last  Session  of 
the  Provincial  Parliament,  which  will 
take  effect,  and  supersede  the  Imperial 
Post  Office  Acts,  hitherto  in  force  in 
Canada,  on  and  from  the  6th  day  of 
April  next: 

1. — From  the  above  date,  all  Letters 
transmitted  by  the  Post  in  Canada, 
with  the  exception  of  Packet  Letters 
to  and  from  the  United  Kingdom, 
will  be  liable  to  a  uniform  rate  of 
Three  Pence,  currency,  per  half-ounce 
for  whatever  distance  conveyed :  pre- 
payment will  be  optional :  the  charge 
increasing  according  to  the  weight  of 
the  Letter,  one  single  rate  for  every 
additional  half-ounce,  counting  the 
fraction  of  a  half-ounce  as  a  full  rate, 
thus: 

A  Letter,  weighing  not  exceeding  l/2 
ounce,  will  be  liable  to  3d  postage. 

A  Letter,  weighing  more  than  Vz 
ounce,  and  not  exceeding  1  ounce,  will 
be  liable  to  6d  Postage. 

A  Letter,  weighing  more  than  1 
ounce,  and  not  exceeding  \]/2  ounces 
will  be  liable  to  9d  Postage,  and  so  on. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  above 
scale  differs  from  that  now  followed, 
in  advancing  one  rate  for  each  half- 
ounce  after  the  first  ounce. 

2.— The  single  Packet  rate  for  Let- 
ters by  the  Atlantic  Steam  Packet 
Mails  to  and  from  England,  via  the 
United  States,  of  Is  2d  sterling,  if 
un-paid,  and  Is  4d  currency,  if  pre- 
paid, as  als,o  the  rate  on  Letters,  by 
those  mails,  via  Halifax,  of  Is  ster- 
ling, if  un-paid,  and  Is  l^d  currency, 
if  pre-paid,  remain  unaltered,  and  the 
present  scale  of  weights  is  to  remain 
in  force  as  regards  such  Letters. 

Post  Masters  must  be  very  careful 
to  observe  this  distinction  when  taxing 
letters,  weighing  over  one-ounce,  in- 
tended for  the  English  Mails. 

3. — The  regulations  now  in  force 
with  regard  to  Letters  to  and  from 
Soldiers  and  Sailors  in  Her  Majesty's 
Service,  by  which  under  certain  con- 
ditions such  Letters  pass  through  the 
Post  on  pre-payment  of  a  penny  only, 
remain  unaltered. 

5. — Letters  addressed  to  New  Bruns- 
wick, Nova  Scotia,  Prince  Edward's 
Island,  or  Newfoundland,  are  to  be 
rated  with  the  uniform  rate  of  3d  per 
half-ounce. 

6. — Letters  to  and  from  the  United 
States  will  be  liable  to  the  uniform 
rate  of  3d  per  half-ounce,  between  the 
Frontier  line  and  the  place  of  posting 


10 


or  place  of  destination  in  Canada; 
and  until  further  arrangements  can 
be  made,  this  charge  on  Letters  from 
Canada  to  the  United  States  must  be 
prepaid  at  the  time  of  Posting. 

9. — The  charge  on  Letters  posted  at 
an  office  for  delivery  in  the  same  City, 
Town,  or  Place,  and  any  additional 
charge  made  on  Letters  delivered  at 
the  residence  of  parties  to  whom  they 
are  addressed,  are  to  remain  as  at 
present,  until  further  instructions. 

10. — No  Franking  Privilege  is  al- 
lowed under  the  New  Act,  except  with 
regard  to  Letters  and  Packets  on  the 
business  of  the  Post  Office,  addressed 
to  or  transmitted  by  the  Post  Master 
General. 

13. — Stamps  for  the  pre-payment  of 
Postage  are  being  prepared  and  will 
be  distributed  for  the  use  of  the  public 
at  an  early  date. 

T.  A.  STAYNER, 
Deputy  Post  Master  General. 

Shortly  afterwards  a  Notice,  or  De- 
partment Order,  dated  April  2nd,  1851, 
was  issued  to  postmasters  regarding  the 
rates  of  postage  between  Canada  and 
the  United  States,  California  and  Ore- 
gon. It  is  hardly  necessary  to  repro- 
duce this  in  its  entirety  and  it  will 
suffice  to  state  that  the  rate  on  single 
letters  to  the  United  States  was  six- 
pence currency,  equivalent  to  ten  cents 
in  United  States  money,  while  to  Cali- 
fornia and  Oregon  the  rate  was  nine 
pence  currency  per  half-ounce.  On 
newspapers,  pamphlets,  etc.,  the  rates 
were  the  same  as  those  for  Canada  it- 
self with  the  stipulation  that  all  such 
mail  must  be  pre-paid.  Certain  offices 
were  named  for  handling  the  mail  be- 
tween. Canada  and  the  United  States, 
viz :  Post  Sarnia,  Windsor,  Fort  Erie, 
Queenston  (the  channel  of  communica- 
tion with  the  United  States  for  the 
country  west  of  Toronto),  Niagara,  To- 
ronto, Cobourg  (a  communication  during 
summer  only,  by  steamer  to  Rochester), 
Kingston,  Brockville,  Prescott,  Mon- 
treal, St.  John's,  Dundee,  and  Stanstead. 
On  the  21st  of  April,  1851,  an  Order 
was  issued  from  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment referring  to  the  issue  of  stamps. 
The  most  interesting  paragraphs  from 
this  order  are: — 

Postage  Stamps  are  about  to  be  is- 
sued, one  representing  the  Beaver,  of 
the  denomination  of  Three  pence; 
the  second  representing  the  head  of 
Prince  Albert,  of  the  denomination  of 
Six  pence;  and  the  third,  representing 
the  head  of  Her  Majesty,  of  the  de- 


nomination of  One  shilling;  which 
will  shortly  be  transmitted  to  the  Post 
Masters  at  important  points,  for  sale. 
Any  Letter  or  Packet,  with  one  or 
more  Stamps  affixed,  equal  in  amount 
to  the  Postage  properly  chargeable 
thereon,  may  be  mailed  and  forwarded 
from  any  office  as  a  pre-paid  Letter  or 
Packet;  but  if  the  Stamps  affixed  be 
not  adequate  to  the  proper  Postage, 
the  Post  Master  receiving  the  Letter 
or  Packet  for  transmission  will  rate  it 
with  the  amount  deficient  in  addition. 
This  Regulation  concerning  Letters 
short  paid  has  reference  only  to  Let- 
ters passing  within  the  Province. 

Stamps  so  affixed  are  to  be  imme- 
diately cancelled  in  the  office  in  which 
the  Letter  or  Packet  may  be  deposited, 
with  an  instrument  to  be  furnished 
for  that  purpose.  In  Post  Offices  not 
so  furnished,  the  stamps  must  be  can- 
celled by  making  a  cross  (X)  on  each 
with  a  pen.  If  the  cancelling  has  been 
omitted  on  the  mailing  of  the  Letter, 
the  Post  Master  delivering  it  will  can- 
cel the  stamp  in  the  manner  directed, 
and  immediately  report  the  Post  Mas- 
ter who  may  have  been  delinquent,  to 
the  Department.  Bear  in  mind  that 
Stamps  must  invariably  be  cancelled 
before  mailing  the  Letters  to  which 
they  are  affixed. 

It  is  rather  interesting  to  note  that  the 
series  comprised  only  three  values, 
though  the  postal  rates,  as  shown  in  the 
Notice  quoted  above,  and  further  ampli- 
fied in  a  lengthy  set  of  "Regulations  and 
Instructions"  called  for  numerous  rates 
of  y2d  and  Id  as  well  as  7^d  so  that 
it  certainly  seems  strange  that  no  provi- 
sion was  made  for  stamps  by  means  of 
which  such  rates  could  be  pre-paid. 

The  beaver  is  typical  of  Canada,  for 
the  prosperity  of  the  Colony  is  largely 
founded  on  this  animal,  whose  skin  has 
been  a  valuable  article  of  commerce 
since  the  days  of  the  early  trappers  in 
the  land  of  the  maple  tree.  The  choice 
of  a  beaver  as  the  central  theme  of  the 
design  of  Canada's  first  stamp — the  3d 
value — is,  therefore,  particularly  appro- 
priate. The  stamp  is  rectangular  in 
shape  and  the  centrepiece  is  enclosed 
within  a  transverse  oval  band  inscribed 
"CANADA  POSTAGE"  at  the  top,  and 
"THREE  PENCE"  below.  Above  the 
beaver  is  an  Imperial  crown  which 
breaks  into  the  oval  band  and  divides 
the  words  "CANADA"  and  "POST- 
AGE." This  crown  rests  on  a  rose, 
shamrock,  and  thistle  (emblematic  of 
the  United  Kingdom)  and  on  either  side 
are  the  letters  "V  R"  (Victoria  Regina, 


11 


i.  e.  Queen  Victoria).  In  each  of  the 
angles  is  a  large  uncolored  numeral  "3". 
Mr.  Howes  tells  us  that  this  stamp  was 


designed  by  Sir  Stanford  Fleming,  a 
civil  engineer  and  draughtsman. 

The  beaver,  depicted  on  this  stamp, 
rejoices  in  the  scientific  name  of  Castor 
fiber.  It  is  a  rodent  of  social  habits  and 
was  at  one  time  widely  distributed  over 
Europe  and  North  America.  It  is  now 
practically  extinct  except  in  Canada  and 
even  there  it  is  said  to  be  in  great  dan- 
ger of  extermination.  Full-grown  ani- 
mals vary  in  length  from  thirty  to  thirty- 
six  inches.  They  are  covered  with  short, 
thick  fur,  which  is  of  considerable  value 
and  their  structural  peculiarities  are 
well  worth  noting.  The  beaver  is  fur- 
nished with  powerful  incisor  teeth,  with 
which  it  is  able  to  bite  through  fairly 
large  trees,  and  its  fore  paws  are  very 
strong.  Its  hind  feet  are  webbed,  so 
that  it  is  a  powerful  swimmer,  and  its 
tail  is  flattened,  and  serves  as  an  excel- 
lent rudder.  Its  ears  are  small  and 
when  laid  back  prevent  any  water  en- 
tering them.  Beavers  generally  live  in 
colonies,  and  show  remarkable  intelli- 
gence and  ingenuity  in  the  construction 
of  their  homes  or  "lodges"  and  in  the 
building  of  dams,  where  water  in  the 
vicinity  of  their  dwellings  has  become 
too  shallow  to  suit  their  tastes.  These 
dwellings  are  often  constructed  on  the 
banks  of  rivers,  but  the  Canadian  beaver 
is  particularly  fond  of  building  lodges  in 
the  centre  of  large  expanses  of  fairly 
shallow  water.  These  are  made  of  turf, 
tree-trunks,  and  other  materials,  and  are 
often  used  as  store  houses  for  food  re- 
serves, as  well  as  for  living  in. 

The  6d  stamp  follows  the  usual  up- 
right rectangular  form  and  its  central 
design  consists  of  the  portrait  of  Prince 
Albert,  the  Royal  Consort.  The  por- 
trait is  enclosed  within  an  upright  oval 
inscribed  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  3d 
but  with,  of  course,  "SIXPENCE"  on 
its  lower  portion.  The  numeral  "6"  is 
shown  in  each  of  the  four  angles.  Al- 
bert Francis  Charles  Augustus  Emanuel 
the  younger  of  the  two  sons  of  Ernest, 
Duke  of  Saxe-Coburg-Gotha,  was  born 
in  1819.  He  was  carefully  educated  at 
Brussels  and  Bonn  (1836-8),  where  he 


showed  himself  an  ardent  student,  ac- 
quired many  accomplishments,  and  de- 
veloped a  taste  for  music  and  the  fine 
arts.  King  Leopold  and  Baron  Stock- 
mar  had  long  contemplated  an  alliance 
between  Prince  Albert  and  Princess 
Victoria,  and  the  pair  were  brought  to- 
gether in  1836.  When  the  succession  of 
Victoria  was  assured  the  betrothal  took 
place,  and  on  February  19th,  1840,  the 
marriage,  which  was  one  of  real  affec- 
tion on  both  sides,  was  solemnized  in 
the  Chapel  Royal,  St.  James  Palace. 
The  Prince  Consort's  position  as  the 
husband  of  a  constitutional  sovereign 
was  difficult,  and  in  the  early  years  of 
his  married  life  his  interference  in  mat- 
ters of  state  was  resented.  Ultimately 
he  became  "a  sort  of  minister,  without 
portfolio,  of  art  and  education",  and  in 
this  capacity  won  much  esteem  and  popu- 
larity. He  also  interested  himself  in 
agriculture  and  in  social  and  industrial 
reform.  To  him  was  due  the  Great 
Exhibition  of  1851,  which  resulted  in  a 
balance  of  a  million  dollars  available 
for  the  encouragement  of  science  and 
art.  His  personal  character  was  very 
high,  and  he  exercised  great  influence  on 
his  children.  He  was  an  ideal  consort, 
and  entirely  worthy  of  the  title  "Albert, 
the  Good".  On  December  14th,  1861, 
he  succumbed  to  an  attack  of  fever,  and 
was  buried  in  St.  George's  Chapel, 
Windsor.  His  remains  were  afterwards 
removed  to  the  mausoleum  at  Frogmore. 


The  12d  stamp  is  very  similar  in  de- 
sign to  the  6d  denomination  but  bears 
the  portrait  of  Queen  Victoria.  The 
life  and  reign  of  Queen  Victoria  are 
matters  of  such  general  knowledge  that 
biographical  details  are  hardly  neces- 
sary. A  few  words,  however,  regarding 
the^  source  of  this  handsome  portrait, 
which  was  used  to  adorn  so  many  of 
the  earlier  British  Colonial  stamps,  will 
not  be  amiss.  Mr.  Howes  tells  us  that 
this  portrait  "was  taken  from  the  full 
length  painting  by  Alfred  Edward 
Chalon,  R.  A.,  which  was  ordered  by 
the  Queen  for  her  mother,  the  Duchess 
of  Kent,  as  a  souvenir  of  Her  Majesty's 
first  visit  to  the  House  of  Lords.  The 


12 


occasion  was  the  prorogation  of  Parlia- 
ment, on  July  17th,  1837,  and  the  Queen 
is  portrayed  in  her  robes  of  state,  be- 
cause of  which  fact  the  painting  is 
sometimes  described  as  'in  Coronation 
Robes',  but  this  is  erroneous." 

The  12d  requires  a  few  words  in  ex- 
planation of  the  manner  in  which  the 
value  was  expressed  for  "One  Shilling" 
would  appear  to  be  a  more  natural  form 
for  this  amount  rather  than  "Twelve 
Pence".  Mr.  Donald  A.  King  says : — 
"This  was  undoubtedly  done  intentional- 
ly, as  though  it  was  intended  for  a  one 
shilling  stamp,  yet  it  could  not  be  called 
that,  as  there  were  a  number  of  shillings 
of  different  values  in  circulation  in  the 
Colony.  If  the  stamp  had  been  lettered 
'One  Shilling',  the  Post  Office  was  liable 
to  have  tendered  for  it  6^d,  7l/2d,  lOd, 
or  12d,  according  to  locality". 

Mr.  Howes  gives  a  fuller  explanation 
which  we  cannot  do  better  than  quote  in 
his  own  words  : — 

"A  glance  back  at  the  rates  of  post- 
age we  have  already  quoted  will  show 
that  it  was  generally  necessary  to  give 
them  in  two  forms,  'currency'  and 
'sterling'.  The  somewhat  depreciated 
Canadian  currency  required  fifteen 
pence,  as  will  be  noted,  to  equal  the 
shilling  sterling — a  point  brought  out 
on  the  two  stamps  issued  subsequently 
for  the  British  Packet  rates.  Add  to 
this  fact  that  in  New  England  the 
'shilling'  was  a  current  expression  for 
16^3  cents  (10  pence  currency),  while 
in  New  York  it  represented  l2l/2  cents 
(71A  pence  currency)  and  we  can 
readily  see  that  in  Canadian  territory 
contiguous  to  these  sections  the  num- 
ber of  pence  to  a  'shilling'  might  often 
be  a  debatable  quantity.  As  a  matter 
of  fact  the  French  Canadians  of  Low- 
er Canada  made  general  use  of  the 
'shilling'  as  reckoned  at  10  pence  (20 
cents)  in  the  old  currency,  while  the 
'York  shilling'  was  extensively  used 
in  Upper  Canada.  'Twelve  Pence'  was 
without  doubt  wholly  intentional, 
therefore,  as  the  designation  of  the 
stamp,  and  was  happy  solution  of  any 
ambiguity  in  its  use,  even  if  it  has 
proved  a  stumbling  block  to  the  under- 
standing of  latter  day  collectors." 

The  three  values  forming  this  first 
issue  were  manufactured  by  Messrs. 
Rawdon,  Wright,  Hatch  and  Edson,  of 
New  York,  who  are,  perhaps,  better 
known  to  fame  as  the  engravers  of  the 
1847,  5c  and  lOc  stamps  for  the  United 
States  government.  All  three  stamps  were 
printed  from  plates  engraved  in  taille 
douce  the  plates  consisting  of  one  hun- 


dred impressions  arranged  in  ten  hori- 
zontal rows  of  ten  each.  The  manu- 
facturer's imprint — "Rawdon,  Wright, 
Hatch  &  Edson,  New  York" — was  en- 
graved twice  on  each  of  the  four  sides 
quite  close  to  the  stamps.  The  im- 
prints were  so  placed  that  the  bottoms 
of  the  letters  are  always  next  to  the 
stamps  with  the  consequence  that  on  the 
printed  sheets  of  stamps  the  imprints 
read  upwards  at  the  left,  downwards 
at  the  right,  and  upside  down  on  the 
bottom  margins. 

A  variety  of  the  3d  denomination  is 
catalogued  with  "double  transfer".  This 
is,  of  course,  a  plate  variety  caused  like 
all  similar  ones  by  a  faulty  or  incorrect 
rocking  of  the  roller  impression  on  the 
plate  and  a  correction  on  top  of  this 
impression  which  did  not  always  en- 
tirely obliterate  the  first  impression. 
Mr.  Howes  says  this  variety  "is  recog- 
nized by  the  letters  EE  PEN  being 
'doubled'  at  the  top,  making  it  appear 
as  if  a  line  had  been  drawn  through  the 
words  and  giving  it  the  name  occasion- 
ally used  of  the  'line  through  threepence' 
variety."  There  are  at  least  two  other 
similar  varieties  of  "double  transfers" 
known  on  this  value  for  in  the  Phila- 
telic World  for  December,  1908,  Mr. 
A..  J.  Sefi  described  and  illustrated  three 
different  ones.  One  of  these  is  a  va- 
riety mentioned  by  Mr.  Howes,  another 
shows  a  distinct  doubling  of  parts  of  the 
details  of  the  two  left-hand  corners, 
while  the  third  variety  shows  a  doubling 
of  the  upper  right  hand  corner.  It  is 
quite  possible  a  close  study  of  these 
stamps  would  reveal  others  and  also 
similar  varieties  in  the  6d  and  12d. 
"Double  strikes"  are  not  uncommon  on 
stamps  produced  by  the  line-engraved 
process  though  they  are  not  often  so 
striking  as  the  first  of  these  Canadian 
varieties  and  those  found  on  the  United 
States  lOc  stamp  of  1847. 

According  to  a  valuable  summary 
from  official  records  published  in  the 
Metropolitan  Philatelist  we  learn  that 
the  first  delivery  of  stamps  from  the 
manufacturers  took  place  on  April  5th, 
1851,  when  100,000  of  the  3d  de- 
nomination were  delivered  to  the  Cana- 
dian Government.  On  April  20th, 
a  'second  supply  of  the  same  value 
comprising  150,200  stamps  arrived  in 
Canada.  On  May  2nd  100,400  of  the  6d 
were  received  followed  two  days  later  by 
51,400  of  the  12d  this  latter  being  the  only 
consignment  of  the  highest  value  ever 
received  from  the  printers.  We  have 
already  pointed  out  that  the  3d  was 
placed  on  sale  on  April  23rd,  1851.  The 
date  of  issue  of  the  6d  is  not  known  for 


13 


certain  as  there  are  no  official  records 
relating  to  this  though,  as  a  supply  was 
received  on  May  2nd,  they  were  doubt- 
less issued  some  time  during  the  same 
month.  The  12d  was  issued  on  June  14th 
as  we  shall  show  later. 

The  three  values  of  this  series,  as  well 
as  other  denominations  in  pence  issued 
later,  were  withdrawn  from  use  on  July 
1st,  1859,  when  decimal  currency  was 
introduced.  By  means  of  much  diligent 
search  through  Post  Office  Reports  and 
other  records  Mr.  Howes  has  deter- 
mined that  a  total  of  3,528,700  3d 
stamps  were  issued  and  a  total  of 
402,900  of  the  6d  value.  Some  of  both 
these  values  were  issued  with  perfora- 
tion late  in  1857  or  early  in  1858.  Un- 
fortunately there  is  no  means  of  sepa- 
rating these  from  the  imperforate  ones 
as  shown  by  the  official  figures  but  if  we 
use  the  somewhat  rough-and-ready 
means  of  reckoning  afforded  by  cata- 
logue quotations  it  would  seem  that  of 
the  above  totals  about  three  million  of 
the  3d  and  325,000  of  the  6d  were 
imperforate. 

The  12d  value,  as  every  collector 
knows,  is  a  very  rare  stamp.  Even  had 
the  full  supply  of  51,000  stamps,  re- 
ceived in  the  first  and  only  consignment 
from  the  manufacturers  on  May  4th, 
1851,  been  issued,  it  would  have  been  a 
rare  variety,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact, 
the  greater  portion  of  the  consignment 
was  destroyed  and  only  1510  were  ac- 
tually issued.  An  interesting  article 
published  in  the  Metropolitan  Phila- 
telist in  1902  shows  that  this  denomina- 
tion was  first  issued  on  June  14th,  1851, 
and  supplies  were  made  to  various  post 
offices  as  follows  : — 

No.  Stamps 

June  14th,  1851,  Hamilton,  300 

Oct.  17th,  1851,  Chippewa,  100 

Nov.  13th,  1851,  Thorold,  20 

Nov.  25th,  1851,  Toronto,  200 

Mar.  8th,  1852,  Montreal,  200 

Sept.  14th,  1852,  Ingersoll,  100 
Apr.  5th,  1853,  Ottawa  (then  known 

as  Bytown),  100 

Oct.  20th,  1853,  Sherbrooke,  15 

Jan.  13th,  1854,  Smith's  Falls,  50 

Jan.  20th,  1854,  Ottawa,  100 

Feb.  8th,  1854,  L'Islet,  15 

Feb.  27th,  1854,  Ingersoll,  20 

Mar.  22nd,  1854,  Sault  S.  Marie,  25 

May  15th,  1854,  Port,  du  Fort,  15 

Oct.  21st,  1854,  Rowan  Mills,  50 

Oct.  26th,  1854,  Melbourne,  50 

Oct.  27th,  1854,  Montreal,  100 

Dec.  4th,  1854,  Smith's  Falls,  50 

Total  stamps,  1,510 

The     consignment     sent     to  Smith's 

Falls  on  December  4th,  1854,  was   the 


last  distributed.  While  we  can  trace  no 
official  notice  referring  to  the  discon- 
tinuance of  this  denomination,  or  the 
actual  date  at  which  it  ceased  to  be 
used,  the  writer  of  the  article  referred 
to  above  says  that  the  balance  of  49,490 
stamps  were  destroyed  on  May  1st,  1857, 
"in  accordance  with  the  practice  of  the 
Department  in  cases  of  the  discontinu- 
ance of  stamps"  though  as  this  was  the 
first  Canadian  stamp  to  be  discontinued, 
a  precedent  could  hardly  have  been  es- 
tablished. 

The     following     interesting     excerpt 
from   the   Stamp    Collectors'   Magazine 
for  April,  1870,  states  that  the  12d  value 
was    discontinued   in    1855    and   it   also 
lays  considerable  stress  on  the  scarcity 
of  used  specimens  of  this  stamp,  viz : — 
One  of  our  readers  observing  from 
a  reply  we  made  to  a  correspondent 
in  the  last  October  number,  that  we 
were  in  doubt  as  to  whether  the  12d 
was  ever  actually  used,  has  been  good 
enough    to    write    the    Deputy    Post- 
master-General on  the  subject  and  has 
obtained     from     him     the     following 
reply  :— 

"OTTAWA,  28th  October,  1869. 
DEAR  SIR  : — In  reply  to  your  note  of 
the  26th  inst.,  let  me  say  that  the 
twelve  penny  postage  stamps  were  is- 
sued to  the  public  in  1851,  but  did  not 
find  favor,  and  so  few  were  sold — 
only  a  few  hundred  altogether  in 
three  or  four  years — that  they  ceased 
to  be  issued  in  1855. 

I  am,  dear  Sir,  yours  very  faithfully, 

W.  A.  SMYTH." 

This  is  satisfactorily  conclusive  as 
to  the  emission  of  the  stamp  in  ques- 
tion ;  but  if  even  only  a  few  hundreds 
were  used,  we  are  surprised  that  no 
used  copies  turn  up.     Were  they  used 
otherwise    than     for     postage?      Mr. 
Philbrick  informs  us  that  no  unused 
copy  of  the  stamp  was  ever  seen  by 
him,  nor  does  he  know  of  its  exist- 
ence.     Plenty  of  proofs  on  India  paper, 
etc.,  exist,  but  the  paper  of  the  stamp 
was  laid  and  thin,  of  a  hard  texture. 
An  extract  from  the  Stamp  Collectors' 
Monthly  Gazette,  published  at  St.  John, 
New    Brunswick,    in    September,    1869, 
shows  that  the  rarity  of  the  12d  was  al- 
ready  recognised    as   witnessed   by  the 
fact  that  "even  $5"  could  be  obtained 
for  a  specimen.     We  give  the  paragraph 
in  full: — 

This  stamp,  as  some  of  our  readers 
are  aware,  was  in  use  but  a  short 
time,  so  short,  that  many  persons, 
even  those  residing  in  Canada,  knew 
nothing  about  it.  One  gentleman  liv- 


14 


ing  in  Quebec,  to  whom  we  had  writ- 
ten on  the  subject  some  time  ago,  in- 
formed us  that  we  must  have  been 
laboring  under  some  mistake,  when 
we  asked  him  for  some  particulars 
about  it.  He  told  us  that  no  such 
stamp  was  ever  issued;  but  a  subse- 
quent letter  from  him  told  a  totally 
different  tale  (as  was  expected) — he 
gave  us  a  few  facts,  and  that  was  all 
we  wanted.  It  was  first  intended  for 
postage  to  England,  and  was  actually 
used  for  a  time.  The  postage  was 
afterwards  reduced  and  the  lOd  stamp 
took  the  place  of  the  12d.  The  latter 
is  now  (the  genuine)  one  of  the  rarest 
in  existence,  and  very  readily  obtains 
such  prices  as  $4.00  and  even  $5.00 
for  one  specimen.  Proofs  are  often 
offered  for  sale  on  India  paper,  with 
the  word  'specimen'  written  on  one 
side.  Amateur  collections  must  con- 
tent themselves  with  this  last,  for  it  is 
utterly  impossible  to  obtain  the  real 
Simon  Pure  article  for  less  than  the 
sums  we  name,  and  even  then,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  it  can  be  had  at  the 
price  or  not.  The  color  of  the  gen- 
uine stamp  is  black,  it  is  an  adhesiye, 
and  contains  a  portrait  of  Queen  Vic- 
toria in  an  inscribed  oval,  with  figures 
12  at  corners. 

All  three  values  of  this  first  set  were 
issued  imperforate  and  while  the  3d,  of 
which  at  least  three  millions  were  is- 
sued, varies  but  little  in  shade,  the  6d, 
printed  in  comparatively  small  quan- 
tities, provides  a  number  of  striking 
tints.  In  his  check-list,  Mr.  Howes 
gives  "black-violet,  deep-violet,  slate- 
violet,  brown-violet,  dull  purple,  slate, 
black  brown,  brownish  black,  and  green- 
ish black",  and  we  have  no  doubt  the 
list  could  be  considerably  amplified, 
though  the  above  should  be  sufficient 
for  the  most  exacting  of  specialists. 

The  catalogue  gives  two  distinct  sorts 
of  paper — laid  and  wove — for  all  three 
values,  with  a  sub-variety  of  the  latter, 
designated  "thin",  for  the  3d  and  6d  de- 
nominations. But  specialists  are  not 
satisfied  with  this  meagre  classification 
and  recognise  numerous  other  varieties 
such  as  trick  white  laid,  soft  white 
wove,  thin  and  thick  grayish,  thick  hard, 
thick  soft,  ribbed,  etc.  Mr.  D.  A.  King, 
in  his  article  in  the  Monthly  Journal, 
says,  "There  are  fourteen  varieties  that 
we  are  able  to  distinguish",  and  he  gives 
a  general  classification  of  their  charac- 
teristics as  follows : — 

Series  I,  II,  IV  and  V.— The  tex- 
ture of  these  papers  is  virtually  the 
same,  and  it  is  indeed  often  difficult,' 
particularly  in  the  case  of  the  6d,  to 


distinguish  between  the  laid  and  wove 
papers.  The  lines  in  the  laid  paper 
are  of  a  most  peculiar  character,  and 
cannot,  as  a  rule,  be  brought  fairly 
out  by  holding  the  stamp  between 
one's  eyes  and  the  light.  The  best 
way  to  test  these  two  papers  is  to  lay 
the  stamps,  face  down,  on  a  black 
surface,  and  let  the  light  strike  them 
at  about  an  angle  of  fifteen  degrees, 
when  the  laid  lines  are  brought  most 
plainly  into  view.  It  is  necessary, 
however,  to  place  the  specimens  so 
that  the  light  will  strike  them  par- 
allel to  their  length,  as  the  laid  lines 
run  horizontally  in  the  3d,  and  verti- 
cally in  the  6d  and  12d. 

Series  III. — This  is  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent paper  to  those  mentioned  above. 
The  laid  lines  are  most  distinct,  while 
the  paper  is  of  a  different  texture  and 
color  from  the  regular  gray  shade. 

Series  VI. — The  paper  of  this  series 
is  almost  as  thick  as  that  employed 
for  series  XII.  There  is  a  vast  dif- 
ference, however,  in  its  appearance,  as 
the  paper  of  series  VI.  is  much  hard- 
er than  that  of  series  XII.  It  feels 
greasy  when  rubbed  between  the 
thumb  and  finger,  and  the  color  of  the 
paper  is  distinctly  different  from  that 
shown  by  series  XII. 

Series  VII,  VIII  and  IX.— We  are 
able  to  divide  the  thin-ribbed  papers 
into  three  varieties,  which  the  descrip- 
tion plainly  indicates.  They  are  very 
distinct,  and  can  be  distinguished 
by  a  moment's  inspection  without 
hesitation. 

Series  X. — This  is  a  very  peculiar 
sort  of  paper,  which  is  quite  fragile, 
and  will  not  bear  much  handling.  It 
is  quite  as  soft  as  that  of  series  VII. 

Series  XL — This  paper  is  also  of  a 
peculiar  texture ;  the  surface  presents  a 
sort  of  hairy  appearance,  and  the  qual- 
ity is  better  than  Series  X,  although 
not  as  tough  as  series  XII. 

Series  XII  and  XIII.— This  paper 
presents,  even  when  looking  at  the 
face  of  the  specimens,  so  entirely  dif- 
ferent an  appearance  to  that  employed 
in  any  of  the  other  series,  that  a  ref- 
erence to  the  back  is  hardly  neces- 
sary. It  is  found  in  two  thicknesses, 
which  have  the  same  appearance,  and 
seems  to  have  been  employed  for  all 
the  values  except  the  12d. 

Series  XIV. — We  are  surprised  that 
this  variety  has  hitherto  escaped  no- 
tice. It  is  so  distinct,  both  in  paper 
and  color,  from  any  of  the  other  6d 
stamps.  It  has  only  been  found  in 
shades  of  a  peculiarly  brownish  purple 
which  is  a  color  entirely  different 


15 


from  that  presented  by  specimens  on 

any    other    of    the    papers    employed. 

It  is  an  exceedingly  rare  variety. 

It  would  indeed  be  a  task  for  the 
most  intrepid  of  specialists  to  try  and 
complete  his  Canadian  stamps  on  such 
ambitious  lines,  to  say  nothing  of  ac- 
quiring the  ingenuity  necessary  to  dif- 
ferentiate between  them.  Their  phila- 
telic importance  is,  in  our  humble  opin- 
ion, not  a  matter  of  very  great  conse- 
quence. At  that  period,  hand-made 
paper  was  still  being  used  to  a  very 
large  extent  and  even  machine-made 
paper  was  not  manufactured  with  the 
nicety  of  standardisation  that  is  pos- 
sible with  the  improved  machinery  of 
to-day.  Consequently,  the  sheets  of 
paper,  even  in  such  a  small  commercial 
quantity  as  a  ream,  would  generally 
show  considerable  variation  in  texture. 
Thin  and  thick  sheets  were  frequently 
mixed  to  obtain  the  necessary  weight 
per  ream  specified  in  any  particular 
grade  of  paper.  No  particular  quality 
of  paper  was,  apparently,  specified  for 
the  manufacture  of  these  stamps,  and 
so  long  as  it  looked  much  about  the 
same  it  is  very  obvious  the  printers 
made  no  particular  effort  to  maintain  an 
exact  standard.  It  is  even  questionable 
that  the  wove  and  laid  varieties  mark 
distinct  consignments  or  printings  of 
the  stamps.  Indeed,  so  far  as  the  12d  is 
concerned  at  any  rate,  both  varieties 
must  have  been  included  in  the  same 
consignment.  But,  more  serious  still, 
from  the  point  of  view  of  those  col- 
lectors who  consider  the  wove  and  laid 
papers  should  be  treated  as  major  va- 
rieties, Mr.  King  admits  that  "the  lines 
in  the  laid  paper  are  of  a  most  peculiar 
character"  and  that  "it  is  often  difficult 
to  distinguish  between  the  laid  and  the 
wove  papers",  while  Mr.  Howes  states, 
"It  happens  sometimes  that  it  is  quite 
difficult  to  distinguish  the  laid  paper,  a 
very  careful  scrutiny  or  even  the  ex- 
treme resort  to  the  benzine  cup  being 
necessary  to  bring  out  the  watermarked 
lines,  and  perhaps  then  only  in  a  half 
suspicious  way."  Writing  in  the  Can- 
ada Stamp  Sheet  (Vol.  IV,  page  142), 
concerning  the  12d  value,  Mr.  John  N. 
Luff  stated,  "It  is  my  opinion  that  both 
the  wove  and  laid  papers  are  quite 
genuine  and  I  think  it  is  possible  that 
both  varieties  might  occur  though  there 
was  only  one  lot  sent  out  by  the  print- 
ers. It  does  not,  of  course,  follow  that 
the  entire  batch  was  printed  on  the 
same  day  or  that  two  varieties  of  paper 
may  not  have  been  used.  The  early 
printers  were  not  always  very  particu- 
lar about  their  paper,  provided  it  was 


somewhat  alike  in  a  general  way.  Some 
collectors  claim  that  laid  paper  is  often 
of  such  nature  that  the  lines  do  not 
show  in  some  parts  of  the  sheet,  and  I 
believe  there  is  evidence  to  support  this 
theory." 

It  is  quite  within  the  bounds  of  pos- 
sibility that  the  paper  generally  used 
for  these  stamps  was  intended  to  be 
what  is  known  as  "wove"  to  the  trade, 
and  that  the  "laid  lines"  originated  in  a 
purely  accidental  manner  and  are  rather 
on  the  order  of  the  "laid  paper"  va- 
rieties found  in  connection  with  the 
first  8c  and  12c  stamps  of  Sarawak. 
In  short,  it  is  probable  that  in  some 
sheets  at  any  rate  the  laid  lines  showed 
only  in  part.  At  best,  therefore,  it 
would  appear  that  the  "wove"  is  but  a 
minor  variety  of  the  "laid"  or  vice 
versa,  and  while  both  varieties,  as  well 
as  other  varieties  easily  distinguished, 
such  as  the  very  thin  and  very  thick, 
are  of  interest  to  specialists,  they 
throw  no  light  whatsoever  on  the  his- 
tory of  the  stamps,  and  do  not,  from 
all  the  available  facts,  represent  sepa- 
rate printings,  so  that  their  philatelic 
importance  (aside  from  comparative 
rarity  as  minor  varieties,  with  its 
accompanying  variation  in  monetary 
worth)  is  not  of  a  particularly  high 
order. 

One  peculiarity  resulting  from  the 
use  of  papers  of  such  varying  quality  is 
an  apparent  difference  in  the  size  of 
stamps  of  the  same  denomination.  For 
instance,  the  stamps  on  the  thinner 
kinds  of  paper  generally  measure  22  x 
18  mm.,  while  those  on  thicker  paper 
measure  22^4  x  17*4  mm.  and  papers  of 
other  thicknesses  provide  still  other 
measurements.  These  differences  in  size 
(fairly  considerable  in  relation  to  the 
comparatively  small  area  of  a  postage 
stamp)  proved  very  puzzling  to  col- 
lectors of  twenty  years  or  so  ago  for, 
though  it  was  felt  that  the  stamps  came 
from  the  same  plates,  it  was  at  the 
same  time  found  impossible  to  account 
for  such  varieties,  except  on  the  hy- 
pothesis that  all  the  impressions  of  the 
plate  were  not  all  applied  alike  or  that  the 
hardening  of  the  plates  before  printing 
resulted  in  contraction  in  parts  with  a 
consequent  variation  in  the  size  of  dif- 
ferent impressions.  The  same  sorts  of 
varieties  have  been  noticed  in  many 
other  stamps  printed  by  the  line  en- 
graved process,  notably  in  such  stamps 
as  the  "pence"  Ceylons,  and  proper  in- 
vestigation finally  proved  beyond  a 
shadow  of  doubt  that  these  differences 
in  size  were  due  to  nothing  more  than 
uneven  contraction  of  the  paper  after 


printing.  It  must  be  understood  that 
in  printing  stamps  by  the  line-engraved 
method  the  paper  usually  has  to  be 
slightly  wetted  (this  was  an  invariable 
rule  at  the  time  these  early  Canada 
stamps  were  printed)  and  it  can  be 
easily  seen  that  the  wetting  would  have 
quite  different  results  on  different  quali- 
ties of  paper.  Some  would  be  more  ab- 
sorbent than  others  and  would  stretch 
while  damp  and  contract  again  when 
drying.  The  amount  of  wetting  admin- 
istered would,  also,  result  in  differences 
even  in  the  same  quality  of  paper. 
These  variations  in  the  size  of  the  de- 
sign, therefore,  while  interesting  in 
themselves  as  -examples  of  paper  va- 
garies, are  of  little,  if  any,  philatelic 
importance. 

Bi-sected  stamps  were  not  used  in 
Canada  to  anything  like  the  same  extent 
that  similar  varieties  were  used  in  the 
other  British  North  American  provinces. 
The  6d  is  catalogued  as  having  been 
divided  diagonally  and  the  halves  used 
as  3d  stamps,  though  there  can  have 
been  no  real  necessity  for  such  bi-sec- 
tion.  A  bi-sected  stamp  of  quite  an- 
other character  was  mentioned  in  the 
Monthly  Journal  for  April,  1898,  as  fol- 
lows : — 

The    Post    Office    describes    a    so- 
called  "split  provisional"  of  the  early 
3d  stamp,  which  is  described  as  con- 
sisting of  one  and  a  half  of  the  un- 
perforated  3d  on  wove,  upon  an  entire 
envelope     postmarked     "Port     Hope, 
July    16th,    1855,    Canada,    Paid    lOc." 
Our  contemporary  does  not  appear  to 
perceive  that  the  postmark  plainly  in- 
dicates that  the  supposed  half  stamp 
is  really  only  a  badly  cut  copy ;  the  3d 
of  Canada  passed  for  5  cents,  and  as 
this    letter    is    plainly    marked    "Paid 
lOc",    the    stamps    upon    it    evidently 
passed  as  two  3d,   not  as  one  and  a 
half,  which  would  have  corresponded 
to  no  rate  of  postage. 
The  same  journal,  two  months  later, 
made  more  extended   reference  to  this 
variety    and    while    its    bona-fides    as    a 
"split"   is   established   its   use   as   a  half 
stamp   is    as   much   a   mystery   as   ever. 
We    cannot    do    better    than    give    the 
paragraph  in  full: — 

In  the  New  Issues  column  of  our 
number  for  April,  we  called  in  ques- 
tion the  character  of  a  supposed 
"split"  three  pence  stamp  of  Canada, 
which  had  been  chronicled  in  the 
Post  Office,  New  York.  In  reply  to 


our  criticism,  Messrs.  Morgenthau  & 
Co.,  the  publishers  of  that  magazine, 
have  most  kindly  forwarded  to  us  the 
letter  bearing  the  divided  stamp,  and 
have  requested  our  opinion  upon  it. 
The  specimen  is  such  a  curious  one 
and  presents,  we  think,  such  a  puzzle 
for  philatelists,  that  we  have  taken 
the  liberty — which  we  hope  its  owner 
will  pardon — of  having  a  photographic 
block  made  from  it,  and  we  give  a 
full  size  illustration,  showing  both  the 
stamps  and  the  postmarks,  herewith. 
As  our  readers  may  perceive,  we  were 
quite  wrong  in  suggesting  that  the 
"split"  stamp  was  merely  a  badly  cut 
copy,  as  it  appears  to  have  been  care- 
fully bi-sected  diagonally  and  to  have 
been  intended  to  pass  as  a  half  stamp, 
making  up,  with  the  entire  stamp  to 
which  it  is  attached,  a  rate  of  4^d. 
If  this  were  all,  though  the  specimen 
would  be  a  great  rarity — indeed,  we 
believe  it  to  be  unique — it  would  not 
be  necessarily  a  great  puzzle  to  us. 
It  is  true  that  we  do  not  know  of  any 
4^d  rate  in  Canada,  and  there  never 
was  a  4^d  stamp  in  use  there;  but 
still,  such  a  rate  might  have  existed, 
although  there  was  no  possible  means 
of  making  it  up  except  by  the  use  of 
at  least  three  ^d  stamps;  but  the 
puzzling  part  about  this  letter  is  that 
it  is  addressed  from  Port  Hope  in 
Canada  to  New  York,  the  single  rate 
from  Canada  to  the  United  States 
was  10  cents;  the  letter  is  marked 
"CANADA— PAID  10  Cts."by  the  side 
of  the  stamps,  and  that  rate  was  six- 
pence in  Canadian  currency.  The 
whole  document  appears  to  us  to  be 
perfectly  genuine  and  bona-fide;  we 
have  examined  it  with  a  skeptical 
mind  and  a  powerful  magnifying 
glass,  and  we  can  only  say  that  if  it 
is  a  "fake"  it  is  wonderfully  well 
done.  On  the  other  hand,  if  it  is 
genuine,  the  half  stamp  must  have 
done  duty  as  a  whole  one,  because  it 
certainly  took  two  3d  stamps  to  make 
up  the  10  cents  rate.  The  puzzle 
remains  a  puzzle  to  us,  but  we  are 
grateful  to  Messrs.  Morgenthau  for 
their  courteous  reply  to  what  may 
have  appeared  a  captious  criticism. 

Reference  List. 

1851.  Engraved  and  printed  by  Rawdon, 
Wright,  Hatch  &  Edson,  New  York, 
on  laid  or  wove  paper.  Imperforate. 

1.  3d  vermilion,   Scott's   No.   1  or  No.   4. 

2.  6d  violet,  Scott's  No.  2  or  No.  5. 

3.  12d  black,   Scott's   No.   3  or   No.   6. 


17 


CHAPTER  IV. — The  Second  Issue. 


The  third  report  of  the  Postmaster- 
General  for  Canada,  dated  March  31st, 
1854,  refers  to  a  change  in  the  rates  of 
postage  on  single  letters  sent  abroad  and 
also  mentions  the  possibility  of  addi- 
tions to  the  meagre  set  of  three  values 
then  current,  viz. : — 

In  March,  1854,  the  charge  on 
packet  letters  between  Canada  and  the 
United  Kingdom  and  most  foreign 
countries  was  reduced  by  the  Im- 
perial Government  from  Is  2d  sterling 
to  8d  sterling  the  l/2  oz.,  when  sent 
in  the  closed  mails  through  the 
United  States,  and  from  Is  sterling  to 
6d  when  sent  from  a  provincial  port — 
Quebec  and  Halifax.  Should  no  fur- 
ther changes  be  likely  soon  to  take 
place  in  the  charges  on  the  corre- 
spondence with  England,  it  would 
promote  the  public  convenience  to  pro- 
cure postage  stamps  of  the  value  of 
lOd  and  7^d  respectively,  to  corre- 
spond with  the  present  packet  charges. 
In  the  Postmaster-General's  fourth 
annual  report,  issued  in  the  following 
year,  the  above  recommendation  was 
adopted  so  far  as  the  lOd  value  was  con- 
cerned, for  we  read  : — 

To  promote  the  general  convenience 
of  the  public  in  prepaying  letters  to 
the  United  Kingdom  at  the  new  rate, 
postage  stamps  of  the  value  of  lOd 
currency,  equal  to  8d  sterling,  were 
procured,  and  issued  to  the  public. 


According  to  documentary  evidence 
unearthed  by  Messrs.  King  and  Howes 
the  plate  for  this  value  was  made,  and 
the  first  stamps  were  printed  from  it 
during  the  last  quarter  of  1854,  for  in 
the  Post  Office  accounts  for  that  period 
the  item,  "Rawdon,  Wright  &  Co., 
Making  Stamps,  £42:18:6,"  appears. 
According  to  another  list  compiled  from 
official  sources  the  stamps  did  not  reach 
Canada  until  January  2nd,  1855,  and 
though  we  know  of  no  official  document 
bearing  on  the  actual  date  of  issue,  or 
of  any  very  early  dated  cover,  in  view 


of  the  fact  that  the  stamps  represented 
a  denomination  for  which  there  was  an 
urgent  demand,  it  is  only  reasonable  to 
suppose  that  this  lOd  value  was  placed 
on  sale  some  time  during  the  month 
of  January,  1855. 

Mr.  King  states  that  this  value  was 
printed  in  sheets  of  100  stamps,  ar- 
ranged in  ten  horizontal  rows  of  ten, 
and  with  the  manufacturers'  imprint 
shown  eight  times  on  the  margins,  as 
in  the  case  of  the  three  stamps  pre- 
viously issued.  Mr.  Howes,  however, 
is  of  the  opinion  that  these  lOd  stamps 
were  printed  in  sheets  of  120,  10  rows  of 
twelve  each,  like  the  7^d  value  issued 
later,  and  in  support  of  his  theory 
points  out  that  the  quantities'  delivered 
in  the  first  supply  (100,080)  and  second 
supply  (72,120)  are  exactly  divisible  by 
120  into  834  and  601  full  sheets  re- 
spectively, whereas  neither  of  these 
numbers  is  divisible  by  100  into  an  even 
number  of  complete  sheets.  In  view  of 
the  absence  of  positive  evidence  in  the 
shape  of  an  entire  sheet  or  full  hori- 
zontal row  of  stamps,  it  must  be  ad- 
mitted that  there  is  much  to  be  said 
in  favor  of  Mr.  Howes'  theory.  It  will 
be  noted  the  stamps  have  the  values  ex- 
pressed in  English  currency,  and  the 
almost  universal  rule  for  stamps  printed 
with  values  in  shillings  or  pence,  has 
been  sheets  of  60,  120,  or  240  owing  to 
the  fact  that  with  such  an  arrangement 
reckoning  in  this  currency  is  greatly 
simplified. 

The  design  corresponds  in  its  general 
appearance  to  the  6d  and  12d  of  1851 
though  the  portrait  in  the  central  oval 
is  of  Jacques  Cartier,  the  discoverer 
of  Canada.  In  the  'eighties  there  was 
some  little  discussion  regarding  the 
portrait  on  this  lOd  stamp  some  claim- 
ing it  was  not  intended  to  represent 
Cartier,  but  Sebastian  Cabot.  A  writer 
on  the  Halifax  Philatelist  for  1888 
says :  "It  is  identically  the  same  as  all 
the  existing  portraits  of  Jacques 
Cartier,  and  totally  unlike  those  exist- 
ing of  Sebastian  Cabot.  The  style  of 
dress  and  the  way  the  beard  is  worn 
is  that  of  the  sixteenth  century,  instead 
of  the  fifteenth.  There  is  a  very  rare 
and  old  print  of  Sebastian  Cabot, 
taken  from  the  original  painting  in  the 
possession  of  Charles  Jost  Harford, 
Esq.,  in  the  Legislative  Library  at 
Halifax,  and  anything  more  dissimilar 
to  the  face  on  the  10  pence  stamp  can- 
not be  imagined."  The  official  notice 
announcing  the  issue  of  the  stamp,  to 


IS 


which  we  have  already  referred,  makes 
no  mention  of  the  design  at  all  but  the 
portrait  is  undoubtedly  that  of  Cartier 
and  Mr.  Howes  tells  us  that  the  origi- 
nal is  a  "three-quarter  length  portrait 
in  the  Hotel  de  Ville  at  St.  Malo, 
France,  the  birthplace  of  Cartier." 

Jacques  Cartier  was  born  at  St. 
Malo,  as  stated  above,  in  1491.  In 
1534  he  sailed  with  two  small  vessels 
on  a  voyage  of  discovery,  touching  at 
Newfoundland,  and  discovering  New 
Brunswick.  In  a  second  voyage  (1535- 
6)  he  explored  the  St.  Lawrence,  and 
took  possession  of  the  land  he  discovered 
in  the  name  of  Francis  I  of  France.  He 
made  a  third  voyage  in  1541  and  died 
in  1557. 

The  words  CANADA  POSTAGE  and 
TENPEXCE  on  the  inscribed  oval 
frame  are  separated  by  a  small  beaver 
at  the  right  and  three 'maple  leaves  at 
the  left.  In  the  lower  corners  are  the 
numerals  "10"  followed  by  "cy"  for  cur- 
rency, while  in  each  of  the  upper  angles 
is  "8d  stg",  representing  the  equivalent 
value  in  sterling. 

Only  the  two  supplies  of  this  value, 
mentioned  previously,  were  printed 
making  a  total  of  172,200  stamps.  When 
the  decimal  currency  was  introduced 
there  was  a  balance  on  hand  of  31,200, 
which  were  afterwards  destroyed  so 
that  the  total  quantity  of  lOd  stamps 
issued  was  141,000. 

A  double-transfer  variety  of  this  de- 
nomination is  described  by  Mr.  Howes 
as  follows  : — 

In  this  case  we  find  the  letters  A  D 
A  and  S  of  "Canada  Postage",  and  P 
E  N  of  "Pence"'  showing  a  distinct 
doubling  at  the  bottom,  the  transfer 
roller  having  been  set  a  little  too  high 
at  first  and  a  very  slight  impression 
made  on  the  plate.  The  stamp  has 
not  been  seen  in  a  pair  to  prove  its 
character  absolutely,  but  it  bears  all 
the  ear-marks  of  being  a  proper  plate 
variety  and  not  due  to  a  careless  im- 
pression when  printing. 

The  Postmaster  General's  report  dated 
Sept.    30th,    1857,    refers    to    the    many 
benefits  accruing  to  both  the  Department 
and  the  public  by  the  increased  use  of 
postage    stamps    in    the    prepayment    of 
postal    charges    and    also    mentions    the 
issue  of  two  new  denominations,  viz : — 
There  is   a  very  material   economy 
of  labor  to  the  Department  in  dealing 
with  letters  pre-paid  by  stamp  as  com- 
pared with  letters  on  which  the  postage 
is   collected   in   money,    as   well    as    a 
manifest  gain  to  the  public,  in  the  in- 
creased   facilities    which    pre-payment 


by  stamp  enables  the  Post  Office  to 
afford  for  posting  and  delivering  let- 
ters so  pre-paid. 

It  is  gratifying,  therefore, to  observe 
that  the  use  of  stamps  is  gradually 
gaining  ground,  encouraging  as  it  does 
the  hope  that  it  may  be  found  prac- 
ticable and  expedient  ere  long  to 
make  prepayment  by  stamp  the  pre- 
vailing rule  in  Canada,  as  it  has  for 
sometime  been  in  ,the  United  Kingdom, 
in  France,  and  in  the  United  States. 

A  reduction  in  the  charge  of  Book 
Post  Packets  when  not  exceeding  4  oz. 
in  weight,  between  Canada  and  the 
United  Kingdom  of  one-half  the  for- 
mer rate  has  been  made. 

To  facilitate  the  prepayment  of  let- 
ters passing  from  Canada  to  England 
by  the  Canadian  steamers,  a  new 
stamp  bearing  value  of  6  pence  ster- 
ling, or  ll/2  pence  currency,  being  the 
Canadian  Packet  rate,  has  been  se- 
cured and  put  in  circulation. 

A  new  stamp  has  also  been  intro- 
duced of  the  value  of  one  halfpenny 
to  serve  as  the  medium  for  prepaying 
transient  Newspapers. 

Moreover,  the  Department  has  been 
led,  by  the  increasing  use  of  Postage 
Stamps,  to  take  measures  for  obtain- 
ing the  Canadian  Postage  Stamps  in 
sheets  perforated  in  the  dividing  lines, 
in  the  manner  adopted  in  England,  to 
facilitate  the  separation  of  a  single 
stamp  from  the  others  on  a  sheet  when 
required  for  use. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  7^d 
value,  which  was  recommended  three 
years  earlier  (at  the  time  the  lOd  was 
issued),  materialised  at  last,  though 
there  appears  to  be  no  official  record 
bearing  on  the  date  the  new  value  was 
placed  on  sale  to  the  public.  The  volume 
dealing  with  the  postage  stamps  of 
British  North  America,  published  by  the 
Royal  Philatelic  Society  some  twenty 
years  ago,  gives  the  date  of  issue  as 
June  2nd,  1857,  though  no  authority  for 
this  statement  is  given. 


The  design  was  adapted  from  that  of 
the  discarded  12d  of  1851,  the  same  por- 
trait of  Queen  Victoria  adorning  the 


in 


central  oval.  The  inscribed  band  around 
this  contains  the  words  CANADA 
PACKET  POSTAGE  at  the  top,  and 
SIX  PENCE  STERLING  atthebottom, 
the  two  inscriptions  occupying  so  much 
space  that  there  was  no  room  for  divid- 
ing ornaments  of  any  kind.  In  the 
upper  and  lower  left  hand  corners  is  "Gd 
stg."  and  in  the  right  hand  corners 
"7^d  cy."  is  shown.  A  word  of  explan- 
ation regarding  the  use  of  the  word 
PACKET  in  the  inscription  is  neces- 
sary. This  does  not  refer  to  any  parcel 
post  (indeed,  there  was  no  parcel  post 
at  that  period)  as  has  sometimes  been 
erroneously  asserted,  but  refers  to  the 
fast  mail  steamers  of  the  day  which  were 
then  known  as  "packets".  This  denom- 
ination, as  shown  by  the  extract  from  the 
Postmaster -General's  report  printed 
above,  was  intended  for  use  on  single 
letters  sent  to  England  via  the  Canadian 
packets. 

This  7^d  stamp  was,  according  to  Mr. 
Howes,  printed  in  sheets  of  120  arranged 
in  ten  horizontal  rows  of  twelve  each, 
each  sheet  showing  the  imprint  of  the 
maufacturers  eight  times  on  the  margins 
as  in  the  case  of  the  values  issued  pre- 
vious to  1857.  Only  one  consignment, 
consisting  of  834  sheets  (100,800  stamps) 
was  received,  and  as  17,670  of  these  were 
still  on  hand  when  the  decimal  currency 
was  introduced  in  1859,  a  simple  calcu- 
lation will  show  that  the  total  quantity 
issued  was  82,410  stamps. 

Although  there  had  been  a  real  need 
for  a  halfpenny  value  since  the  first  adhe- 
sives  made  their  appearance  in  Canada—- 
as shown  by  several  rates  it  was  impos- 
sible to  prepay  in  stamps  without  them — 
it  was  not  until  1857  that  a  stamp  of  this 
denomination  was  placed  in  use.  The 
following  circular  announced  their  im- 
pending issue : — 

POSTAGE  ON   NEWSPAPERS   AND   PERI- 
ODICALS. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 
TORONTO,  i8th  July,  1857. 

Under  the  Post  Office  Law  of  last 
Session  taking  effect  from  1st  August, 
1857,  Newspapers  printed  and  pub- 
lished in  Canada,  and  mailed  direct 
from  Office  of  Publication,  will  pass 
free  of  Canadian  Postage. 

Periodicals  so  printed,  published, 
and  mailed  when  specially  devoted  to 
Religious  and  to  General  Education,  to 
Agriculture,  or  Temperance,  or  to  any 
branch  of  Science,  will  pass  free  from 
any  one  Post-Office  to  another  within 
the  Province. 

Transient  and  re-mailed  Papers 
and  Periodicals  will  pass  by  Post  if 


prepaid  by  Postage  stamp — one  half- 
penny if  not  exceeding  3  oz.  in  weight, 
and  2d  if  over  3  oz. 

Postage  Stamps  of  the  value  of  one 
halfpenny  each  will  be  sold  to  the 
public  at  all  the  principal  Post  Offices 
(including  all  Money  Order  Offices), 
with  a  discount  of  5  per  cent,  upon 
purchases  of  not  less  than  twenty 
stamps  and  will  be  available  in  pre- 
payment of  Newspapers  and  Period- 
icals, and  of  Drop  and  Town  Letters. 

R.  SPENCE,  Postmaster-General. 
The  Royal  Philatelic  Society's  book 
gives  the  date  of  the  above  notice — 
July  18th,  1857— as  the  date  of  issue  of 
the  new  stamp  but,  as  Mr.  Howes  ob- 
serves "it  is  more  likely  that  the  stamp 
was  issued  on  1st  August,  the  day  the 
new  rates  took  effect." 

Although  this  stamp  is  generally  con- 
ceded to  be  tne  last  of  the  "pence" 
values  to  be  issued,  until  more  definite 
information  regarding  the  date  of  issue 
of  the  7^d  can  be  procured,  this  sup- 
position can  rest  on  no  more  substantial 
basis  than  that  of  mere  conjecture. 


The  design  is  quite  unlike  that  of  any 
of  the  other  values  expressed  in  pence 
and  consists  of  the  conventional  profile 
portrait  of  the  Queen  shown  on  so  many 
of  the  stamps  of  the  British  Empire, 
within  an  oval  band  inscribed  CAN  ADA 
POSTAGE,  at  the  top,  and  ONE  HALF 
PENNY,  at  the  bottom.  There  are  no 
numerals  or  inscriptions  in  the  corners 
but  merely  a  plain  pattern  of  diagonally 
crossed  lines.  Mr.  Howes  states  "the 
stamp  was  printed  in  sheets  of  100,  ten 
rows  of  ten,  with  the  right  marginal 
imprints  as  described  for  the  series  of 
1851." 

From  the  Postmaster-General's  report 
we  gather  that  1,341,600  halfpenny 
stamps  were  received  prior  to  October 
1st,  1857,  though  whether  these  were  all 
in  one  consignment  or  not  is  not  quite 
clear.  At  any  rate  judging  from  the 
statement  in  the  same  report  that  "the 
Department  has  been  led  to  take  meas- 
ures for  obtaining  .  .  .  sheets  per- 
forated" it  would  appear  that  the  above 
quantity  comprised  all  the  imperforate 


stamps  of  this  denomination.  On  the 
other  hand  the  total  number  of  half- 
penny stamps  issued  was  3,389,960  and 
catalogue  quotations  for  the  imperforate 
and  the  perforated  varieties  hardly  bear 
out  the  supposition  that  only  the  first  lot 
were  issued  without  perforation. 

While  the  lOd  value  is  found  on  several 
sorts  of  paper  no  such  extreme  varia- 
tion is  provided  as  in  the  case  of  the 
stamps  of  1851.  The  7^d  and  l/2d 
values,  printed  at  a  later  date,  provide 
still  fewer  varieties,  which  would  seem 
to  indicate  that  as  time  progressed  the 
manufacturers  exercised  a  nicer  dis- 
crimination in  their  choice  of  paper. 
Most  of  the  stamps  seem  to  have  been 
printed  on  a  hard  wove  paper,  varying 
a  little  in  thickness ;  the  lOd  is  found  on  a 
very  thin  paper;  and  the  J^d  is  recorded 
on  ribbed  paper,  though  whether  this  is 
a  true  "ribbed"  variety  or  merely  the 
result  of  some  peculiarity  in  printing 
is  open  to  discussion.  As  the  ribbed 
lines  are  anything  but  distinct,  though 
the  paper  showing  this  peculiarity  is  a 


little  softer  than  that  generally  used, 
it  is  more  than  likely  that  the  ribbing 
was  purely  accidental. 

Owing  to  the  differing  qualities  of 
paper  used  the  same  idiosyncracies  of 
measurement  in  the  size  of  the  designs 
may  be  noted,  especially  in  the  case  of 
the  lOd  as  was  referred  to  in  a  previous 
chapter.  But  as  all  variations  of  this 
character  in  stamps  printed  from  line- 
engraved  plates  were  long  ago  con- 
clusively proved  to  be  due  to  nothing 
more  exciting  than  paper  shrinkage  it 
is  hardly  worth  while  wearying  our 
readers  with  a  resurrection  of  all  that 
has  been  written  on  the  subject  leading 
up  to  the  proof.  While  examples  show- 
ing the  extremes  of  size  are  of  interest 
in  a  specialised  collection  little  can  be 
said  in  favor  of  their  philatelic  value. 

Reference  List. 

1855-57.  Engraved  and  printed  by  Rawdon, 
Wright,  Hatch  &  Edson,  New  York, 
on  wove  paper.  Imperforate. 

4.  y2d  pink,   Scott's  No.  8. 

5.  7id  green,  Scott's  No.  9. 

6.  lOd  blue,  Scott's  No.  7. 


CHAPTER  V. — The  Perforated  Pence  Stamps. 


In  the  Report  of  the  Postmaster- 
General  for  September  30th,  1857,  to 
which  we  have  already  made  reference, 
we  read : — 

Moreover,  the  Department  has  been 
led,  by  the  increasing  use  of  Postage 
Stamps,  to  take  measures  for  obtain- 
ing the  Canadian  Postage  Stamps  in 
sheets  perforated  in  the  dividing  lines, 
in    the   manner    adopted    in    England, 
to  facilitate  the  separation  of  a  single 
stamp    from    the    others    on    a    sheet 
when  required  for  use. 
From  the  above  statement,  one  would 
naturally   infer   that   such   a   useful   in- 
novation   would    be    adopted    at    once, 
especially  so  when  it  is  considered  that 
the  utility  and  convenience  of  perfora- 
tion had  already  been  amply  tested  and 
had    proved    eminently    satisfactory    in 
England.   Unfortunately,  no  further  men- 
tion of  perforation  is  made  in  the  Re- 
ports of  succeeding  years,  and  this  ab- 
sence   of    direct    official    evidence    com- 
bined   with    the    existence    of    certain 
facts  has  given  rise  to  much  theorising 
as  to  the   actual   date   of   issue   of  the 
perforated  varieties,  and  as  to  whether 
the  perforation  was  applied  by  the  man- 
ufacturers of  the  stamps,  by  the  Cana- 
dian Government,  or  by  private  parties 
in  Canada. 


Mr.  Donald  A.  King  in  his  article  in 
the  Monthly  Journal  says : — 

It  is  an  open  question  whether  these 
stamps  were  delivered  to  the  Cana- 
dian Post  Office  Department  in  a  per- 
forated condition  or  not.  The  manu- 
facturers are  wholly  unable  to  throw 
any  light  on  the  subject;  and  while 
there  is  much  to  be  said  in  favor  of 
their  having  perforated  the  stamps, 
there  are  points  against  it  almost  as 
strong. 

In  favor  of  it  there  is  the  fact  that, 
at  the  date  that  these  stamps  were 
issued,  it  was  more  than  probable 
that  a  firm  like  the  manufacturers 
would  have  perforating  machines. 
The  normal  gauge  of  the  perforated 
set  is  12,  that  being  the  only  size  ever 
used  by  the  manufacturers,  or  their 
successors,  the  American  Bank  Note 
Company;  indeed,  they  call  12  their 
standard  and  only  gauge. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  find  that 
there  are  perforated  stamps  of  the 
first  series  issued,  viz.,  the  6d  on 
laid  paper;  also,  that  there  exist  two 
different  varieties  of  perforation  that 
were  never  used  by  the  makers,  viz., 
one  gauging  14,  and  another  that  is 
described  in  the  American  Journal  of 


21 


Philately    for   January,    1891,    as    fol- 
lows : — 

"CANADA.  — In  a  large  lot  of 
pence  issues,  purchased  by  us  lately, 
we  have  found  two  copies  of  the  3d, 
on  greyish  wove  paper,  perforated  13, 
with  oblique  parallel  cuts.  This  seems 
to  confirm  the  theory  that  the  pence 
issues  of  Canada  were  not  perforated 
by  the  manufacturers,  but  either  by 
the  Canadian  Government,  or  by  some 
persons  authorized  by  them,  who  most 
likely  experimented  with  different 
perforating  machines,  finally  select- 
ing the  one  perforating  12." 

Considering  these  facts,  it  may  be 
that  the  stamps  were  sent  to  Canada 
in  an  imperforate  condition,  and  that 
the  Post  Office  Department  had  them 
perforated  there,  either1  buying  a  per- 
forating machine,  or  entrusting  them 
to  some  manufacturers  of  stationery. 
Perforations  gauging  13  and  14  may 
have  been  experimental,  as  specimens 
of  these  varieties  are  rare;  perfora- 
tion 12  being  adopted  as  giving  the 
best  results,  the  other  sizes  not  being 
at  all  clearly  cut,  as  the  12  general!} 
is.  All  the  stock  of  J/2d,  3d  and  6d 
on  hand  would,  in  this  case,  have 
been  perforated,  which  might  account 
for  the  copy  of  the  6d  on  laid  paper 
that  is  known  in  this  condition.  There 
always  remains  the  query  why  the 
7l/2d  and  lOd  were  not  treated  in  the 
same  manner,  and  to  this  no  answer 
can  be  given.  Probably  the  safest 
theory  to  advance,  and  the  one  that  I 
think  is  correct,  is  that  the  12  gauge 
was  the  official  one  used  by  the  manu- 
facturers, and  that  the  13  and  14  were 
the  result  of  private  enterprise  by 
people  using  large  quantities  of 
stamps,  and  they  may  possibly  ante- 
date the  regularly  perforated  issue. 
This  point  can  only  be  settled  by 
copies  being  found  on  the  original 
covers. 

In  commenting  on  the  above  it  will 
save  undue  confusion  if  we  state  that 
the  copy  of  the  perforated  6d  on  laid 
paper  to  which  Mr.  King  refers  was 
proved  to  be  a  forgery  as  shown  by  the 
following  extract  from  the  American 
Journal  of  Philately  for  1891 : — 

There  is  no  longer  any  mystery  in 
regard  to  the  origin  of  that  great 
rarity!  the  perforated  6  pence  on  laid 
paper,  these  stamps  having  been  per- 
forated for  four  or  five  years  in  the 
shop  of  Messrs.  Benjamin,  Sarpy  & 
Co.,  Cullum  street,  London,  who 
openly  boast  of  having  manufactured 
and  sold  those  in  the  collection  of  the 


late   Hon.    T.    K.    Tapling   and    other 
prominent  collectors. 
With    regard    to   the   varieties   perfo- 
rated   13    and    14 — while   these    are   un- 
doubtedly rare,  all  the  evidence  strongly 
points  to  the  fact  that  they  are  unofficial 
varieties,  a  statement,  we  believe,  which 
has    never   been    seriously   combated    by 
students  of  the  early  Canadian  stamps. 

Thus,  most  of  the  "contrary"  evidence 
adduced  by  Mr.  King  carries  no  weight 
with  it  at  all.  The  most  interesting 
point  he  raises  is  the  fact  that,  though 
the  7^4d  and  lOd  denominations  were 
current  at  the  same  time  as  the  ^>d,  3d 
and  6d,  these  values  were  not  perforated. 
So  far  as  the  lOd  is  concerned  this 
seems  all  the  more  strange  when  it  is 
considered  that  one  supply  of  this  value 
was  certainly  printed  after  September, 
1857,  the  date  of  the  Report  mentioning 
the  adoption  of  perforation. 

Mr.  Howes  has  made  diligent  search 
through  official  records  and  carefully 
scanned  itemised  reports  of  more  or  less 
petty  expenditures,  and  he  was  unable 
to  find  any  reference  whatsoever  to  a 
disbursement  such  as  would  have  been 
necessary  had  the  Government  pur- 
chased a  perforating  machine  or  had 
the  stamps  perforated  by  some  private 
concern.  It  is,  therefore,  unquestion- 
able that  the  natural  course — i.  e.,  that 
the  manufacturers  should  perforate  the 
stamps — was  the  one  followed. 

The  real  root  cause  of  all  the  prob- 
lems surrounding  these  perforated 
stamps  seems  to  lie  in  the  general  ac- 
ceptance of  the  assumption  that  they 
were  issued  in  1857  or  early  in  1858 — 
an  assumption  that  appears  to  be  en- 
tirely devoid  of  the  support  of  tangible 
facts  when  the  matter  is  scrutinised 
thoroughly.  Mr.  Howes  has  delved 
into  the  subject  with  his  usual  thorough- 
ness and  his  deductions  are  so  well 
founded  that  we  imagine  no  unbiased 
student  will  venture  to  do  other  than 
agree  that  his  findings  are  fully  borne 
out  by  the  history  of  the  stamps  so  far 
as  we  know  it.  We,  therefore,  make 
no  apology  for  reproducing  his  argu- 
ments in  full : — 

The  date  usually  assigned  to  the 
appearance  of  the  perforated  stamps 
is  January,  1858.  The  London  So- 
ciety gave  simply  "1857,"  which  is 
apparently  set  down  merely  because 
they  have  just  quoted  the  announce- 
ment from  the  Postmaster  General's 
Report  for  that  year.  Evans  and 
Moens,  in  their  catalogues,  both  name 
the  date  as  November,  1858.  Unfor- 
tunately, no  more  authoritative  state- 


ment  has  been  found,  except  that  in 
Messrs.  Corwin  and  King's  article 
they  say  "Mr.  Hooper  positively  states 
that  it  took  place  in  January,  1858." 
Mr.  John  R.  Hooper  was  at  that  time 
(1890)  connected  with  the  Canadian 
Post  Office  Department  at  Ottawa  and 
took  pains  to  look  up  much  informa- 
tion for  the  above-mentioned  gentle- 
men. His  reasons  for  the  "positive 
statement"  are  not  given,  and  inas- 
much as  he  is  quoted  elsewhere  as 
saying  that  "the  records  of  the  Post 
Office  Department  are  silent  as  to 
where  this  perforation  was  performed 
and  by  whom,"  and  also  seems  a  little 
uncertain  in  ^ome  other  details,  we 
feel  that  further  confirmation  is 
needed. 

In  our  table  above  we  have  given 
the  supplies  received  after  the  30th 
September,  1857,  and  deducted  the  re- 
mainders so  as  to  have  the  actual 
number  issued.  The  lOd  has  already 
proved  a  stumbling  block,  for  it  was 
not  perforated  at  all !  Next  we  find 
the  6d  to  the  number  of  150,000,  when 
the  total  issue,  including  the  laid 
paper,  was  but  400,000;  yet  the  cata- 
logue value  of  the  imperforates  is 
some  $6  for  each  variety,  and  of  the 
perforated  stamp  at  least  $30 !  Can 
anyone  doubt  that  all  these  150,000 
6d  stamps  were  not  perforated?  In 
the  case  of  the  3d  we  have  one  and  a 
third  millions  to  compare  with  a  total 
issue  of  three  and  a  half  millions — 
about  a  third  in  the  supposed  per- 
forated class.  Yet  the  catalogue 
value  of  the  latter  is  $2.50  against 
36  cents  for  the  wove  paper  imper- 
forate  alone.  With  the  l/2d  stamp 
there  are  two  millions  against  a  total 
of  three  and  a  third  millions,  or  about 
two  to  one  in  favor  of  the  supposed 
perforated  stamps,  yet  the  latter  are 
double  the  catalogue  price  of  the 
former !  The  only  conclusion  to  be 
drawn  from  these  regularly  appearing 
inconsistencies  in  each  value  is  that 
all  the  supplies  after  30th  September, 
1857,  were  not  perforated,  as  the  lOd 
stamp  very  glaringly  intimates  ! 

If  this  be  so,  is  it  not  possible  that 
the  order  to  perforate  the  new  sup- 
plies was  given  to  the  manufacturers 
much  later  than  has  hitherto  been 
thought  to  be  the  case?  It  hardly 
seems  likely  that  this  improvement 
would  be  ordered  for  a  few  supplies 
and  then  dropped,  only  to  re-appear 
a  year  and  a  half  later  as  a  perma- 
nent feature  of  the  new  set.  Once 


adopted  it  was  more  than  likely  to  be 
retained. 

Let  us  see,  then,  just  for  curiosity's 
sake,  what  the  supplies  of  the  last  six 
months  of  issue  yield  us  for  data. 
For  the  l/2d  we  find  850,000  roughly, 
with  60,000  remainders.  Call  it 
800,000  issued  which,  if  perforated, 
would  be  a  quarter  of  the  total  issue 
of  l/2d  stamps,  or  a  ratio  to  the  im- 
perforates of  one  to  three.  This  is 
not  so  far  away  from  the  catalogue 
ratio  of  two  to  one  (inversely,  of 
course,)  in  the  value  of  the  per- 
forated stamps.  With  the  3d  stamp 
we  have  450,000  roughly,  with  20,000 
remainders,  say  430,000  issued.  Of  a 
total  issue  of  3,500,000  this  represents 
one-eighth,  or  a  ratio  of  one  to  seven. 
The  inverse  ratio  of  seven  to  one  for 
catalogue  value  comes  pretty  close 
when  we  compare  $2.50  with  36  cents ! 
In  the  case  of  the  6d  there  are  70,000, 
less  17,500  remainders,  or  52,500.  This 
is  approximately  one-eighth  the  total 
issue  of  400,000,  or  again  a  ratio  of  one 
in  seven.  The  inverse  ratio  of  seven 
to  one  for  a  catalogue  value  would 
make  the  perforated  stamp  list  $42 
with  the  imperforate  at  $6.  But  both 
laid  and  wove  paper  6d  stamps  list 
at  approximately  $6,  whereas,  if  all 
had  been  issued  on  but  one  variety  of 
paper,  we  might  find,  perhaps,  a  single 
list  price  of,  say  $4.  With  this  as  a 
basis,  the  catalogue  value  of  $30  for 
the  perforated  6d  is  in  as  close  agree- 
ment with  our  supposition  as  are  the 
others.  And,  best  of  all,  the  second 
supply  of  the  lOd  stamp  is  disposed 
of  without  any  difficulty  whatever  un- 
der this  hypothesis ! 

It  may  be  argued  that  reasoning 
thus  from  catalogue  prices  is  too  un- 
certain to  prove  of  value.  Granted  in 
many  cases.  But  here  is  an  issue 
from  fifty  to  sixty  years  old;  the 
stamps  were  regularly  used  in  in- 
creasing numbers  during  their  years 
of  issue ;  they  have  always  been  popu- 
lar and  eagerly  collected,  so  that  the 
stock  in  existence  has  been  pretty  well 
handled  and  pretty  well  distributed. 
Under  these  conditions  the  catalogue 
prices  should  by  this  time  reflect  fair- 
ly accurately  the  relative  rarity  of  the 
main  varieties  of  each  stamp  at  least; 
and  it  is  this  relative  rarity  that  we 
are  after  in  order  to  approximate  the 
original  supplies  of  the  main  varieties. 
The  result  is  certainly  of  more  than 
mere  interest,  the  agreement  being 
such  that  we -are  tempted  to  lay  down 


23 


the  following  propositions  in  regard 
to  the  perforated  stamps  for  further 
proof  or  disproof  : — 

First.  The  regular  perforation 
(gauge  12)  was  done  by  the  manu- 
facturers and  applied  to  the  last  requi- 
sitions previous  to  the  change  to  deci- 
mal stamps. 

Second.  The  date  of  the  supposed 
issue  of  the  perforated  stamps  should 
be  changed  from  January,  1858,  to 
November,  1858,  or  January,  1859. 

Third.  The  quantities  of  perfo- 
rated stamps  issued  are  placed  ap- 
proximately at: — y2d,  789,440;  3d, 
428,200;  6d,  52,422.  In  further  support 
of  the  above  postulates,  we  must  say 
that  every  cover  bearing  any  one  of  the 
three  perforated  stamps  which  we 
have  been  able  to  get  a  satisfactory 
date  from  has  been  postmarked  in 
1859  !  Not  one  has  yet  been  seen  which 
bore  a  date  in  1858  even,  and  one  6d 
from  the  Seybold  collection,  which 
was  dated  at  Brantford,  December  29, 
1857,  turned  out  to  be  bad.  Of  course, 


perforated  stamps  are  hard  to  find  on 

original  covers,  but  it  is  curious  that 

so  far  not  one  has  upset  the  theory 

we  have  laid  down. 

These  three  perforated  stamps  do  not 

provide   much   variation   in   the   quality 

of  the  paper.     Most  of  the  stamps  are 

found   on  a  hard  wove  paper,   varying 

slightly  in  thickness,  and  though  the  l/>d 

and  3d  are  listed  on  ribbed  paper,  we 

venture    to    doubt    that    this    is    a    true 

ribbed  paper  for  the  reasons  set  forth 

in  our  last  chapter. 

Mr.  King  records  the  6d  bisected  di- 
agonally and  the  halves  used  as  3d 
stamps,  but,  as  in  the  case  of  the  simi- 
lar variety  in  the  imperforate  issues, 
there  could  have  been  no  real  need  for 
such  bisection. 

Reference  List. 

1858-9.     Stamps  of  preceding  issues  perforated 
12. 

7.  l/2d  pink,  Scott's  No.  11. 

8.  3d  red,  Scott's  No.  12. 

9.  6d  violet,   Scott's  No.  13. 


CHAPTER  VI. — The  First  "Cents"  Issue. 


While  the  somewhat  cumbrous  Eng- 
lish currency  of  pounds,  shillings  and 
pence  has  presented  little  or  no  difficulty 
in  those  parts  of  the  Empire  where  it 
has  always  been  on  the  same  basis  as  in 
the  Mother  country,  the  fact  that  in 
Canada  it  had  two  valuations — "curren- 
cy" and  "sterling" — made  it  an  inevitable 
conclusion  that  a  change  would  have  to 
be  made  sooner  or  later.  The  close 
proximity  of  Canada  to  the  United 
States  gave  it  a  very  practical  illustra- 
tion of  the  advantages  of  a  decimal  sys- 
tem of  money ;  the  American  currency 
of  dollars  and  cents  was  legalised  in  the 
Province  of  Canada  in  1853 ;  and  it  is, 
therefore,  small  matter  for  wonder  that 
ultimately  a  decimal  system  of  currency 
similar  to  that  in  vogue  in  the  United 
States  was  adopted.  This  change  took 
place  in  1859  and  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral's Report  for  that  year  alluded  to 
the  necessary  changes  in  the  postage 
stamps  as  follows : 

The  Law  of  last  Session  directing 
the  conversion  of  all  postage  rates  in- 
to decimals,  and  the  collection  of 
postage  in  the  new  decimal  currency, 
was  put  in  operation  on  the  1st  July. 
Decimal  stamps  of  the  value  of  1  cent, 
5  cents,  and  10  cents  for  ordinary 
correspondence,  and  of  l2l/2  cents  for 
Canadian,  and  of  17  cents  for  British 


Packet  Postage  Rates  were  obtained 
in  readiness  for  the  commencement  of 
the  Decimal  Postage  Law  in  July, 
1859,  and  have  from  that  date  been 
issued  in  lieu  of  the  stamps  previously 
in  use. 

The  Law  referred  to  on  the  above 
mentioned  Report  was  assented  to  on 
May  4th,  1859,  and  as  some  of  the  pro- 
visions are  of  philatelic  interest  we  re- 
produce them  as  follows  : — 

1. — There  shall  be  payable  on  all 
Newspapers  sent  by  Post  in  Canada, 
except  "Exchange  Papers"  addressed 
to  Editors  and  Publishers  of  News- 
papers, such  rate  of  Postage,  not  ex- 
ceeding one  cent  on  each  such  News- 
paper, as  the  Governor  in  Council  shall 
from  time  to  time  direct  by  regulation 
and  such  rate  shall  be  payable  on  all 
such  Newspapers,  posted  on  or  after 
the  first  day  of  July  next. 

2. — So  much  of  any  Act  as  provides 
that  Newspapers  posted  within  this 
Province  shall  pass  free  of  postage,  in 
cases  other  than  those  in  which  they 
will  be  free  under  this  Act  is  hereby 
repealed. 

3. — In  order  to  adapt  the  operations 
of  the  Post  Office  to  the  Decimal  Cur- 
rency, the  internal  letter  postage  rate 
shall  be  changed  from  three  pence  to 


24 


its  equivalent  of  five  cents,  per  half 
ounce — the  charge  for  advertising  a 
dead  letter  from  three  farthings  to 
two  cents — the  charge  for  returning  a 
dead  letter  to  the  writer,  from  one 
penny  to  three  cents ;  and  in  all  cases 
where  a  one  half-penny  or  penny  rate 
of  Postage  is  chargeable,  these  rates 
shall  be  changed  to  one  cent  and  two 
cents  respectively. 

4. — To  promote  simplicity  and 
economy  in  the  business  of  the  Post 
Office,  all  letters  posted  in  Canada 
for  any  place  within  the  Province, 
and  not  prepaid,  shall  be  charged 
seven  instead  of  five  cents  per  half 
ounce  on  delivery;  and  on  letters 
posted  for  the  British  Mails,  for  the 
other  British  North  American  Pro- 
vinces, or  for  the  United  States,  when 
not  prepaid,  there  shall  be  charged 
such  addition  to  the  ordinary  rate, 
not  in  any  case  exceeding  a  double 
rate,  as  the  Post  Master  General  may 
agree  upon  with  the  Post  Office 
Authorities  of  those  Countries,  for 
the  purpose  of  enforcing  prepayment. 

5. — The  Post  Master  General  may  ' 
establish  a  Parcel  Post  and  parcels 
other  than  letters  and  not  containing 
letters,  may  be  sent  by  such  Parcel 
Post,  and  when  so  sent  shall  be  liable 
to  such  charges  for  conveyance  and 
to  such  regulations  as  the  Governor 
in  Council  shall  from  time  to  time  see 
fit  to  make. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  above  Act, 
aside  from  showing  the  rates  in  the 
new  currency  as  compared  with  the  old, 
provides  for  a  greater  limitation  of  the 
privilege  of  free  transmission  of  news- 
papers, and  also  provides  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Parcel  Post. 

Xo  further  reference  seems  to  have 
been  made  to  the  parcel  post  until  the 
Postmaster-General's  Report  for  June 
30th,  1864,  where  it  is  stated  :— 

By  means  of  the  Parcel  Post  a  par- 
cel ma}'  be  sent  within  the  Province 
to  or  from  an)-  place,  however  remote 
from  the  ordinary  lines  of  traffic  con- 
veyance, on  prepayment  of  a  postage 
rate  of  25  cents  per  lb.,  provided  that 
the  weight  or  size  of  the  parcel  does 
not  exceed  the  carrying  capacity  of  an 
ordinary  mail  bag ;  and  provided  that 
the  contents  of  the  parcel  are  not  of  a 
character  to  injure  the  rest  of  the 
mail. 

Later  the  parcel  post  system  was  ex- 
tended so  that  it  embraced  the  sister 
Provinces  of  New  Brunswick  and  Nova 
Scotia,  the  rate  remaining  at  25c  per  lb. 
Apparently  the  weight  and  size  of  a 
parcel  acceptable  by  the  postal  authori- 


ties still  remained  delightfully  vague 
and  indefinite  and  was  simply  limited  by 
"the  carrying  capacity  of  an  ordinary 
mail  bag." 

As  we  have  seen  from  the  Postmaster- 
General's  Report  for  1859  the  first 
"cents"  stamps  were  placed  in  use  on 
July  1st  of  that  year.  The  series  com- 
prised the  values  Ic,  5c,  lOc,  12^c  and 
17c  these  corresponding  to  the  y2d,  3d, 
6d,  7^d  and  lOd  denominations  previ- 
ously in  use.  The  designs  of  the  new 
stamps  were  adapted  from  those  of  the 
corresponding  values  of  the  old  issue  as 
a  comparison  of  the  two  series  will 
amply  demonstrate.  The  Ic  differs  from 
the  ]/2d.  only  in  the  words  denoting  the 


value  below  the  portrait.  The  5c  differs 
from  the  3d  not  only  as  regards  the  new 
inscription  of  value  but  has  small  orna- 
ments on  the  oval  band  dividing  CAN- 
ADA POSTAGE  from  FIVE  CENTS. 
In  the  corners  the  numerals  "5,"  replac- 
ing "3,"  are  placed  in  an  oblique  position 
on  a  ground  of  crossed  lines.  The  lOc 
differs  from  the  6d  in  having  the  corner 
numerals  (represented  by  the  Roman 
"X")  placed  obliquely  on  a  cross  hatched 
ground  instead  of  upright  on  a  ground 
of  foliate  ornamentation,  while  TEN 


CENTS  replaces  SIX  PENCE  under 
the  portrait.  The  12^c  differs  from  the 
7l/2d  only  as  regards  the  corners  where 
"12^c"  replaces  the  former  values  of  "6d. 
stg"  and  "7y2d  cy".  On  the  new  17c  the 
words  of  value  required  so  much  more 
room  than  the  TEN  PENCE  on  the  old 
denomination  that  the  emblems  between 
the  upper  and  lower  inscriptions  on  the 


oval  were  retired  in  favor  of  small  ellip- 
tical ornaments.  The  upper  corners 
were  unaltered  but  in  the  lower  ones 


"lOcy"  was  removed  and  "17"  substi- 
tuted. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  original  dies 
were  made  use  of  in  each  case,  the  cen- 
tral portions  being  retained  and  new 
orders  engraved. 

The  stamps  were  manufactured  by  the 
American  Bank  Note  Company,  of  New 
York,  which  firm  had  succeeded  to  the 
business  established  by  Messrs.  Rawdon, 
Wright,  Hatch  and  Edson.  The  new 
firm  name  came  into  effect  on  May  1st, 
1858. 

The  stamps  were  printed  in  sheets  of 
100  by  the  line-engraved  process  the 
manufacturers'  imprint,  "American  Bank 
Note  Co.,  New  York"  appearing  twice 
in  each  margin  in  very  small  letters. 
For  some  reason  or  other  no  imprint 
was  applied  to  the  plate  for  the  17c 
value. 

In  the  Law  relating  to  the  adoption 
of  decimal  currency,  reproduced  above, 
we  read  in  section  3  that  "in  all  cases 
where  a  one-half  penny  or  penny  rate 
of  Postage  is  chargeable,  these  rates 
shall  be  changed  to  one  cent  and  two 
cents  respectively."  Yet,  though  a  Ic 
stamp  was  included  in  the  series  in  1859 
no  2c  made  its  appearance  until  1864. 


This  new  value  was  issued  on  August 
1st,  1864,  according  to  the  Postmaster- 
General's  Report  for  that  year  while  the 
Report  for  the  following  year  states  that 
"A  provision  has  been  made  for  the 
transmission  and  delivery  of  Canadian 
periodicals,  addressed  to  the  United 
Kingdom,  at  the  reduced  rate  of  two 
cents  each"  and  it  is  probably  due  to 
the  increased  demand  for  the  2c  denomi- 
nation under  this  new  rate  that  the 
stamp  made  its  appearance. 


The  design  was  evidently  copied  from 
the  Ic  though  the  addition  of  numerals 
in  each  of  the  lower  corners  gives  it 
a  strikingly  different  appearance  from 
that  of  the  lower  value.  Curiously 
enough  the  2c  was  printed  in  almost  the 
same  color  as  the  Ic  and  in  commenting 
on  this  fact  the  Stamp  Collectors'  Maga- 
zine for  October  1st,  1864,  stated: — 

We    are    surprised   that   a    different 

hue  was   not  chosen  for  the  2  cents, 

and  should  imagine  its  great  similarity 

to  the  1  cent,  should  the  latter  not  be 

withdrawn     from     circulation,     would 

tend  to  create  confusion. 

This    new    denomination   was   printed 

in  sheets  of  100  like  the  others  of  the 

series,    and   also   had   eight   imprints   in 

the  margins. 

A  close  study  of  these  stamps  should 
reveal  many  points  of  interest.  For 
many  years  a  double  transfer  of  the  5c, 
of  a  similar  character  to  that  found  on 
its  predecessor  the  3d  has  been  known. 
This  is  recorded  in  Scott's  catalogue  as 
a  "double  transfer"  while  Gibbons  notes 
it  as  a  variety  "with  extra  line  in  outer 
'  oval  at  left".  This  variety,  which  is 
simply  the  most  prominent  of  many 
double  transfers  found  in  connection 
with  this  5c  stamp,  shows  the  outer  line 
of  the  oval  at  left  distinctly  doubled, 
and  the  frame  lines  above  are  also 
double.  Other  varieties  which,  though 
not  so  prominent,  are  of  equal  philatelic 
importance  are  found.  We  have  seen 
the  following  and  have  no  doubt  many 
others  exist : — 

(1)  There     are     distinct     traces     of 
doubling  in  the  letters  ADA  and  POST 
of  CANADA  POSTAGE,  in  the  numer- 
als in  the  upper  angles,  and  of  the  lines 
of  the  oval  band. 

(2)  There  is  a  faint  doubling  of  the 
outer  frame  lines  at  the  top  right  hand 
corner. 

(3)  There  is  a  similar  doubling  of  the 
outer    frame    lines    affecting   the    lower 
right  hand  corner. 

(4)  The   lines   of  the   oval  band   are 
faintly  doubled  at  the  lower  left. 

(5)  The  letters  POST  of  POSTAGE, 
the  "5"  above,  and  the  lines  of  oval  and 
frame  all  show  distinct  signs  of  double 
transferring. 

(6)  This   double   transfer   affects   the 
lines,    numeral,    and   letters    NADA    of 
CANADA  at  the  upper  left  corner  and 
while  not  so  distinct  as  No.  5  is  never- 
theless a  true  plate  variety. 

We  have  found  no  traces  of  double 
transfers  in  the  other  denominations  ex- 
cept a  slight  one  on  the  12^c.  This 
shows  a  slight  doubling  of  the  frame 
lines  in  the  top  left  corner,  as  well  as 


traces  "of  colored  lines  in  the  adjacent 
"12^c".  It  is  quite  probable  that  any 
collector  having  sufficient  material 
would  find  "doubles"  in  all  of  these 
values. 

In  laying  down  the  impressions  on 
the  plate  or  plates  for  the  5c  value  a 
guide  dot  was  applied  to  the  transfer 
roll.  This  occupied  such  a  position  that 
as  each  succeeding  impression  was  ap- 
plied to  the  plate  it  fell  so  that  the  guide 
dot  would  fall  about  the  centre  of  the 
C  of  CENTS.  Consequently,  the  vast 
majority  of  these  stamps  show  a  con- 
spicuous dot  of  color  in  the  position  in- 
dicated. The  stamps  without  the  colored 
dot  are,  usually,  those  from  the  extreme 
left  vertical  row  of  the  sheet.  On  this 
same  value — the  5c — we  have  seen  speci- 
mens with  colored  dots  outside  and 
slightly  to  the  left  of  the  lower  left  cor- 
ner. These  are  possibly  plate  dots 
marked  to  indicate  where  each  row 
should  commence.  Varieties  with  broken 
frame  lines  are  not  uncommon  and 
these  may  be  due  in  part  to  defective 
transfers  and  in  part  to  wear.  Extreme 
wear  is  also  shown,  in  some  instances, 
by  the  numerals  appearing  on  an  almost 
plain  ground. 

Whether  guide  dots  were  used  for  the 
other  denominations  or  not  we  cannot 
say.  At  any  rate  if  they  were  used  they 
were  applied  in  such  a  position  as  to  be 
completely  hidden  by  some  part  or 
other  of  the  designs.  A  small  peculiar- 
ity in  the  lOc  is  worth  noting.  On  the 
majority  of  specimens  there  is  a  slight 
defect  or  break  in  the  outer  line  of  the 
oval  band  above  and  to  the  right  of  the 
O  of  POSTAGE.  This  is  probably  due 
to  a  minute  defect  on  the  transfer-roll 
impression.  Many  specimens  of  the 
12]/2c  value  show  the  tongue  of  the  E 
of  POSTAGE  the  same  length  as  the 
upper  and  lower  arms  though  the  end 
is  generally  covered  with  a  colored 
smudge.  We  are  at  a  loss  to  account 
for  the  cause  of  this  variety  but  that  it 
is  a  "constant"  one  we  have  satisfied 
ourselves  by  the  examination  of  a  num- 
ber of  identical  specimens.  The  17c 
also  exhibits  a  small  peculiarity  of  en- 
graving. A  colored  line  projects  up- 
wards into  the  uncolored  oval  band 
above  the  space  between  OS  of  POST- 
AGE. This  was  evidently  caused  by  an 
accidental  touch  of  the  engraver's  tool 
on  the  die  for  it  is  quite  distinct  on 
every  specimen  we  have  examined. 

The  paper  upon  which  the  stamps  of 
this  series  were  printed  does  not  pro- 
vide so  much  variation  as  that  of  the 


earlier   emissions.     Mr.    D.   A.   King  in 

his  article  in  the  Monthly  Journal  says : 

The  papers  upon  which  these  stamps 

are  printed  may  be  divided  into  five 

classes : 

I. — Ordinary,    coarse,    white    wove 

paper. 
II. — Similar    paper,    of    a   yellowish 

tint,  and  slightly  ribbed. 
III. — A    hard    greyish    paper,    very 

slightly  ribbed. 

IV. — White  wove  paper,  very  slight- 
ly ribbed. 
V. — A  white  paper,  very  hard  and 

closely  ribbed. 

In  addition  we  are   told   that   all   the 
above    varieties    come    in    at    least    two 
thicknesses.     Scott's    catalogue    is    con- 
tent   with    a    classification    of    "wove" 
paper  with  a  sub-variety  of  "ribbed"  for 
the     Ic     and     oc     denominations.     Mr. 
Howes  extends  the  "ribbed"  variety  to 
all  values  but,  as  we  have  pointed  out  in 
earlier  chapters,  it  is  extremely  unlikely 
that  any  such   variety  as   a   real   ribbed 
paper  was  used,  the  ribbed  lines  being 
simply    due    to    some    idiosyncracy    of 
manufacture.   To  again  quote  Mr.  King : 
The    best    way    to    distinguish    this 
paper   from  the  others  that  have  the 
appearance  of  ribbing,  is  to  hold  the 
stamp  before  a  strong  light,  when  the 
ribbing  will  appear  like  fine  horizontal 
laid  lines  on  the  oc,  and  vertical  laid 
lines    in    the    other    values.     Looking 
through  the  paper  is  the  only  sure  test, 
as  many  of  the  stamps  on  the  other 
papers  have  the  appearance  of  being 
ribbed. 

To  differentiate  between  stamps  on 
ribbed  paper  and  those  haying  the  "ap- 
pearance" of  being  ribbed  is  surely  get- 
ting very  close  to  the  ridiculous. 

With  the  exception  of  the  lOc  the 
stamps  of  this  issue  provide  but  little 
variation  in  shade  but  the  lOc  more  than 
makes  up  for  this  lack  in  the  others  for 
it  exists  in  almost  every  conceivable  tint 
from  bright  red-lilac  through  shades  of 
violet  and  brown  to  a  brown  so  intense 
as  to  be  catalogued  as  a  distinct  variety 
described  as  "black-brown". 

All  the  stamps  of  this  series  were 
normally  perforated  12  by  single  line 
machines.  All  values  are  known  en- 
tirely imperforate  and  it  would  seem 
that  these,  or  most  of  them,  are  per- 
fectly legitimate  errors.  The  Philatelic 
Record  for  October,  1882,  says :— "We 
have  seen  a  used  imperforate  copy  of 
the  5  cents,  1859,  which  is  beyond  chal- 
lenge". Mr.  King  states : — "The  im- 


27 


perforate  varieties  are  all  legitimate,  and 
undoubtedly  genuine,  having  been  seen 
in  pairs,  or  in  single  copies  with  mar- 
gins beyond  cavil".  Mr.  Charles  L. 
Pack  writing  in  the  London  Philatelist 
regarding  these  varieties  says  : — 

I  have  the  Ic  and  5c  postmarked  in 
1860  and  1861  at  Toronto  and   Pres- 
cott,  Canada  West.     I  also  believe  that 
these  varieties  were  on  sale  at  Kings- 
ton, Canada  West,  at  about  that  time. 
I    have    also    the    2c    and    lOc   in    un- 
doubtedly early  used  condition. 
Bisected  varieties  of  the  5c  and  lOc  of 
this    issue    are    known    though,    as    Mr. 
Howes    states    of    these    varieties,    they 
"were     never     authorised     and     seldom 
used".       The     Philatelic     Record     for 
October,    1888,    mentions    a    part    of    a 
cover  with  a  lOc  and  half  of  a  5c  side 
by   side   which   were    evidently   used   in 


prepayment  of  the  12^c  rate,  while  Mr. 
Howes  records  the  existence  of  a  pair 
of  the  5c  used  with  a  half  stamp  of  the 
same  denomination  to  make  up  the  12^c 
packet  rate.  The  same  writer  records  a 
diagonal  half  of  the  lOc  used  as  a  5c 
stamp  from  Bowmanville,  Upper  Cana- 
da, on  February  15th,  1860.  Whether 
these  "splits"  were  the  work  of  private 
parties  or  were  made  by  postal  officials 
to  fift-  a  temporary  shortage  of  certain 
values  will  probably  never  be  known. 

Reference  List. 

1859-64.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  Ameri- 
can Bank  Note  Co.,  New  York,  on 
white  wove  paper.  Perforated  12. 

10.  Ic  pink,   Scott's  No.   14. 

11.  2c  rose,  Scott's  No.  18. 

12.  5c  vermilion,  Scott's  No.  15. 

13.  lOc  lilac,   Scott's   No.   16. 

14.  12|c  green,   Scott's  No.   19. 

15.  17c  blue,   Scott's  No.  20. 


CHAPTER  VII. —  The  First  Dominion  Issue. 


The  steady  growth  of  Upper  Canada, 
chiefly  due  to  immigration,  until  it  had 
twice  the  population  of  its  sister 
Province,  Lower  Canada,  aroused  cries 
for  a  readjusted  representation,  which 
threatened  the  French  with  a  hopeless 
minority  in  Parliament  and  the  coun- 
try with  another  impasse.  The  federa- 
tion of  all  the  provinces  under  some- 
thing like  the  American  system  was  the 
only  solution ;  and  with,  for  the  most 
part,  the  cordial  cooperation  of  the  mari- 
time provinces,  the  great  scheme  was 
carried  through,  and  the  new  dominion 
launched  in  1867.  Each  province  re- 
tained its  local  autonomy  and  separate 
legislature  under  a  lieutenant-governor, 
always  a  Canadian,  nominated  by  the 
federal  executive.  To  the  latter  was 
reserved  all  great  affairs,  such  as  de- 
fense, customs,  Crown  lands,  Indians, 
and  the  organisation  of  the  vast  western 
territories  then  just  beginning  to  open 
up. 

The  famous  Sir  John  Macdonald,  the 
most  illustrious  of  Canadian  statesmen, 
was  prominent  in  the  federal  movement, 
as  also  was  Sir  Charles  Tupper.  A  final 
meeting  was  held  in  London,  and  early 
in  1867  the  British  North  America  Act 
was  passed  through  the  Imperial  Par- 
liament. The  new  capital  was  fixed  at 
Bytown,  a  small  town  up  the  Ottawa 
well  removed  from  the  frontier,  fairly 
central  to  all  the  provinces,  and  felici- 
tously rechristened  Ottawa.  Here  were 
erected  the  stately  houses  of  parliament 
for  senate,  commons,  and  the  entire  gov- 


ernment staff,  familiar  to  all  travellers, 
and  there,  too,  the  governor-general 
of  all  British  North  America  took  up 
his  residence,  Lord  Monck  being  the 
first  to  hold  this  high  office,  and  Sir 
John  Macdonald  the  first  premier. 

The  British  North  America  Act,  re- 
ferred to  above,  provided  for  the  di- 
vision of  the  Dominion  of  Canada  into 
four  provinces  named  Ontario,  Quebec, 
Nova  Scotia  and  New  Brunswick  and 
also  made  provision  for  the  admission 
of  Newfoundland,  Prince  Edward 
Island,  British  Columbia,  etc.,  when 
such  admission  should  be  deemed  ad- 
visable. The  Act  went  into  force  on 
July  1st,  1867,  and  as  a  mark  of  the  im- 
portance of  this  event  the  first  day  of 
July  is  now  a  national  holiday  known 
as  "Dominion  Day". 

It  only  remains  to  say  that  Prince 
Edward  Island,  British  Columbia  and 
Manitoba  (not  then  organised)  came 
into  the  federation  shortly  afterwards. 

One  of  the  chief  duties  of  the  first 
Parliament,  which  met  at  Ottawa  on 
November  6th,  1867,  was  the  revision 
and  consolidation  of  the  laws  of  the 
various  provinces  now  federated,  and 
amongst  these  were,  of  course,  the  laws 
relating  to  the  Post  Office.  The  Act 
passed  for  the  regulation  of  the  postal 
service  is  a  lengthy  one  and  the  only 
provisions  of  special  interest  to  us  as 
philatelists,  those  relating  to  the  rates  of 
postage, — are  more  clearly  and  definite- 
ly tabulated  in  a  Department  Order  is- 
sued from  Ottawa  on  March  1st,  1868, 


to  which  we  shall  make  reference  later. 
Before  doing   so,   however,   we   make    a 
short  extract  from  the  Post  Office  Act 
insofar    as    it    relates    to    definitions    of 
various  terms  and  expressions,  viz. : — 
The   term    "Letter"    includes    Packets 
of  Letters ; 

The  term  "Postage"  means  the  duty 
or  sum  chargeable  for  the  conveyance 
of  Post  Letters,  Packets  and  other 
things  by  Post ; 

The  term  "Foreign  Country"  means 
any  country  not  included  in  the  do- 
minions of  HLr  Majesty; 
The  term  "Foreign  Postage"  means 
the  postage  on  the  conveyance  of 
Letters,  Packets  or  other  things, 
within  any  Foreign  Country  or  pay- 
able to  any  Foreign  Government ; 
The  term  "Canada  Postage"  means 
the  postage  on  the  conveyance  of 
Letters,  Packets  and  other  things  by 
Post  within  the  Dominion  of  Canada 
or  by  Canada  Mail  Packet; 
The  term  "Mail"  includes  every  con- 
veyance by  which  Post  Letters  are 
carried,  whether  it  be  by  land  or 
water ; 

The  term  "British  Packet  Postage" 
means  the  postage  due  on  the  convey- 
ance of  letters  by  British  Packet 
Boats,  between  the  United  Kingdom 
and  British  North  America : — And  the 
term  "British  Postage"  includes  all 
Postage  not  being  Foreign,  Colonial 
or  Canadian ; 

The    term    "Post    Letter"    means    any 
letter  transmitted  or  deposited  in  any 
Post  Office  to  be  transmitted  by  Post': 
— And  a  letter  shall  be  deemed  a  Post 
Letter  from  the  time  of  its  being  de- 
posited or  delivered  at  a  Post  Office, 
to  the  time  of  its  being  delivered  to 
the  party  to  whom  it  is  addressed. 
The   Department   Order   addressed  to 
"All    Postmasters,    and    Other    Persons 
Employed     in    the     Postal     Service    of 
Canada"  dealt  chiefly  with  the  rates  of 
postage  and  as  these  are  important  we 
feel   it   is   necessary   to   reproduce   most 
of    this     rather     lengthy     document     in 
extenso: — 

PRINCIPAL  RATES  OF  POSTAGE. 
LETTERS. 

5. — On  letters  passing  between  any 
two  places  within  the  Dominion  of 
Canada,  a  uniform  rate  (irrespective 
of  distance),  of  three  cents  per  y2  oz., 
if  prepaid;  and  five  cents  per  y2  oz. 
if  unpaid. 

6. — On  letters  between  any  place  in 
the  Dominion  and  any  place  in  the 


United  States,  6  cents  per  y2  oz.,  if 
prepaid;  and  ten  cents  per  y2  oz.  if 
unpaid. 

7. — On  letters  to  or  from  the  United 
Kingdom,  in  Mails  by  Canada  Packets, 
to  or  from  Quebec  in  summer,  or 
Portland  in  winter ;  or  by  Mail  Packet 
to  or  from  Halifax,  12^c  per  l/2  oz. 
On  do.  in  Mails  via  New  York  Packet, 

15  cents  per  y2  oz. 
On  letters  to   Prince  Edward  Island, 

if   prepaid,    3    cents    per    y2    oz. ;    if 

posted  unpaid,  5  cents  per  y2  oz. 
On  letters  to  Newfoundland,  to  be  in 

all  cases  prepaid,  12l/2c  per  y2  oz. 
On    letters    to    British    Columbia    and 

Vancouver  Island,  in  all  cases  to  be 

prepaid,  10  cents  per  y2  oz. 
On  letters  to  Red  River,  to  be  in  all 

cases  prepaid,  6  cents  per  y2  oz. 

NEWSPAPER  RATES. 

8. — Newspapers  printed  and  pub- 
lished in  Canada  may  be  sent  by  Post 
from  the  office  of  publication  to  any 
place  in  Canada  at  the  following  rates, 
if  paid  quarterly  in  advance,  either  by 
the  Publisher,  at  the  Post  Office 
where  the  papers  are  posted,  or  by  the 
subscriber,  at  the  Post  Office  where 
the  papers  are  delivered  : — 
For  a  paper  published  once  a  week,  5 

cents  per  quarter  of  a  year. 
For  a  paper  published  twice  a  week, 

10  cents  per  quarter. 
For  a  paper  published  three  times,  15 

cents  per  quarter. 
For   a   paper   published   six   times,   30 

cents  per  quarter. 

If  the  above  rates  are  prepaid  by  the 
Publisher,  the  Postmaster  receiving 
payment  must  be  careful  to  have  the 
papers  so  prepaid  separately  put  up, 
and   marked,    distinctly,   as   prepaid. 
When  the  above  rates  are  not  prepaid 
in  advance,  by  either  the  Publisher 
at   the   office   of   posting   or   by   the 
subscriber  at  the  office  of  delivery, 
the   papers    are   to   be   charged   one 
cent   each   on   delivery. 
9. — Canadian  Newspapers,  addressed 
from  the  Office  of  publication  to  sub- 
scribers  in  the  United   Kingdom,   the 
United  States,  Prince  Edward  Island 
and     Newfoundland,     may     be     for- 
warded,  on   prepayment   at  the  Office 
in  Canada  where  posted,  at  the  above 
commuted    rates,    applicable    to    such 
papers  within  the  Dominion. 

10. — Exchange  Papers  passing  be- 
tween publishers  in  Canada,  be- 
tween publishers  in  Canada  and  pub- 
lishers in  the  United  States,  Prince 
Edward  Island  and  Newfoundland, 


29 


are   to   pass    free — one   copy   of   each 
paper  to  each  publisher. 

11. — Transient  Newspapers  include 
all  Newspapers  posted  in  Canada, 
other  than  Canadian  Newspapers  sent 
from  the  Office  of  publication,  and 
when  addressed  to  any  place  within 
the  Dominion,  to  the  United  King- 
dom, to  the  United  States,  Prince 
Edward  Island  or  Newfoundland, 
must  be  prepaid  two  cents*  each  by 
postage  stamp. 

12. — Newspapers  coming  into  Cana- 
da  will    be    subject    to    the    following 
charges  on  delivery : — 
If  from  the  United  Kingdom,  by  mail 
packet  to  Quebec,  Halifax  or  Port- 
land— Free  on  delivery. 
By  mails  via  the  United  States   (New 

York),  two  cents  each. 
If  from  the  United  States,  two  cents 
each,  to  be  rated  at  the  Canada 
Frontier,  or  exchange  office  re- 
ceiving mails  from  the  United 
States. 

If  from  Prince  Edward  Island  or 
Newfoundland,  when  received  by 
regular  subscribers  in  Canada  from 
the  Office  of  publication,  the  ordi- 
nary commuted  rates  applicable  to 
Canada  Newspapers. 
Transient  Papers — two  cents  each. 

13. — The  Canada  Postage  rates  on 
Newspapers  coming  or  going  to  the 
United  Kingdom  and  the  United 
States,  will  thus  be  the  same  as  those 
charged  in  the  United  Kingdom  and 
the  United  States  on  Newspapers 
there  received  from  or  sent  to  Canada. 
14. — Canada  News  Agents  may  post 
to  regular  subscribers  in  Canada, 
British  Newspapers  free,  and  United 
States  Newspapers  unpaid,  such  papers 
in  the  latter  case,  must  be  duly  rated 
two  cents  each  for  collection  on 
delivery. 

PRINTED     PAPERS,     CIRCULARS,     PRICES 
CURRENT,     HAND     BILLS,     BOOKS, 

PAMPHLETS. 

15. — The  rate  on  printed  matter  of 
this  description  posted  in  Canada,  and 
addressed  to  any  place  in  Canada, 
Prince  Edward  Island,  Newfoundland 
or  the  United  States,  will  be  one  cent 
per  ounce,  to  be  prepaid  by  Postage 
Stamp ;  and  a  like  rate  will  be  payable 
on  delivery,  when  received  from  the 
United  States,  Prince  Edward  Island 
or  Newfoundland. 

PERIODICAL  PUBLICATIONS. 
16. — When  posted  in  Canada,  Prince 
Edward  Island,  Newfoundland  or  the 


United  States,  the  rate  will  be  one 
cent  per  four  ounces. 

17. — A  like  rate  will  be  payable  on 
delivery  in  Canada,  when  received  for 
the  United  States,  Prince  Edward 
Island  or  Newfoundland. 

18. — Periodicals  weighing  less  than 
one  ounce  per  number,  when  posted  in 
Canada  for  any  place  within  the  Do- 
minion, Prince  Edward  Island,  New- 
foundland or  the  United  States  may, 
when  put  up  singly,  pass  for  one-half 
cent  per  number,  to  be  prepaid  by 
Postage  Stamp. 

19. — As  the  Postage  Rates  on  Peri- 
odicals, other  than  Newspapers,  will 
be  payable  in  advance,  and  as  certain 
classes  of  such  periodicals,  printed  and 
published  in  Canada,  and  sent  from 
the  office  of  publication  to  regular 
subscribers,  have  for  some  time  past 
been  exempted  from  postage  when  ex- 
clusively devoted  to  the  education  of 
youth,  to  temperance,  agriculture  and 
science,  or  for  other  reasons,  it  is  or- 
dered, that  with  respect  to  periodicals 
which  do  now  enjoy  this  privilege  or 
exemption,  the  exemption  shall  con- 
tinue until  the  expiration  of  the  cur- 
rent year — that  is,  until  the  31st 
December,  1868,  and  that  from  the  1st 
January,  1869,  all  such  special  ex- 
emptions and  privileges  shall  cease. 

PARCEL  POST. 

20.— The  rate  on  Parcels,  by  Parcel 
Post,  will  be  12^2  cents  per  8  ounces, 
that  is  to  say: — 
On  a  parcel  not  exceeding  8  oz.,  12*/2 

cents. 
Over  8  oz.,  and  not  exceeding  1  lb.,  25 

cents. 
Over  1  lb.  and  not  exceeding  24  oz., 

37^  cents. 
And  so  on,  to  the  limit  of  three  Ibs. 

BOOK  AND  NEWSPAPER  MANUSCRIPT,  AND 
OTHER    MISCELLANEOUS    MATTER. 

21.  On  Book  and  Newspaper  Man- 
uscript (meaning  written  articles  in- 
tended for  insertion  in  a  newspaper 
or  periodical,  and  addressed  to  the 
Editor  or  Publisher  thereof,  for  in- 
sertion), Printers'  Proof  Sheets, 
whether  corrected  or  not,  Maps, 
Prints,  Drawings,  Engravings,  Music, 
whether  printed  or  written,  packages 
of  Seeds,  Cuttings,  Roots,  Scions  or 
Grafts,  and  Botanical  Specimens,  the 
rate  will  be  1  cent  per  ounce,  when 
posted  for  any  place  in  Canada  or  the 
United  States,  and  prepaid  by  Post- 
age Stamp. 


30 


POSTAGE  STAMPS. 

22.— To  enable  the  Public  to  prepay 
conveniently    by    Postage    Stamps   the 
foregoing     rates,     the     following    de- 
nominations   of    Postage    Stamps    for 
use    throughout    the    Dominion,    have 
been  prepared,  and  will  be  supplied  to 
Postmasters  for  sale  : — 
Half  cent   Stamps 
One  cent          do. 

Two  cent  do.  All  bearing, 
Three  cent  do.  as  a  device, 
Six  cent  do.  the  effigy 

Twelve  and  a  of  Her  Majesty. 

half  cent      do. 
Fifteen  cent     do. 

23. — The  Postage  Stamps  now  in 
use  in  the  several  Provinces  may  be 
accepted,  as  at  present,  in  prepayment 
of  letters,  etc.,  for  a  reasonable  time 
after  the  1st.  of  April;  but  from  and 
after  that  date  all  issues  and  sales  to 
the  public  will  be  of  the  new  de- 
nomination. 

The  section  regarding  "Franking  and 
Free  Matter"  provides  that  only  letters 
sent  to  or  by  the  Governor-General,  the 
Speaker  or  Chief  Clerk  of  the  Senate 
or  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Parlia- 
mentary papers,  and  legislative  docu- 
ments, such  as  petitions,  addresses,  and 
votes,  shall  be  carried  free  of  postage. 

The  most  important  change  effected 
by  the  above  quoted  regulations  was  the 
reduction  of  domestic  postage  from  five 
cents  to  three  cents.  It  will  be  noted 
there  are  now  no  prepaid  5c  or  17c  rates 
and  but  one  at  lOc  (on  letters  sent  to 
British  Columbia  and  Vancouver  Island) 
consequently  these  denominations  were 
dropped  from  the  new  series.  On  the 
other  hand  the  ^c  rate  on  transient 
newspapers,  which  'had  to  be  prepaid, 
the  regular  3c  letter  rate,  the  6c  rate  to 
the  United  States,  and  loc  for  the  new 
British  Packet  rate  made  necessary  the 
issue  of  these  four  values  in  addition  to 
the  Ic,  2c,  and  12^c  denominations, 
which  were  retained.  All  these  stamps 
were  printed  by  the  line-engraved 
process,  as  in  the  case  of  the  earlier  is- 
sues, the  sheets  consisting  of  one  hun- 
dred specimens  arranged  in  ten  horizon- 
tal rows  of  ten  each.  A  new  firm — the 
British  American  Bank  Note  Company, 
of  Montreal  and  Ottawa — were  en- 
trusted with  the  manufacture  of  these 
stamps  and,  like  their  predecessors,  they 
applied  their  imprint  to  the  plates,  so 
that  it  is  shown  four  times  on  the  mar- 
gins of  the  sheets  of  the  printed  stamps. 
Mr.  Howes  describes  the  imprint  as 
follows : — 


The  imprint  appears  in  colorless 
capitals  on  a  narrow  strip  of  color 
with  bossed  ends,  and  reads  BRITISH 
AMERICAN  BANK  NOTE  CO., 
MONTREAL  &  OTTAWA.  This 
strip  is  framed  by  a  very  thin  parallel 
line,  its  entire  width  being  but  one 
millimeter,  while  its  length  is  about 
51  mm.  It  occurs  but  once  on  a  side, 
being  placed  against  the  middle  two 
stamps  (numbers  5  and  6)  of  each 
row  at  a  distance  of  about  3  mm.  The 
inscription  reads  up  on  the  left  and 
down  on  the  right,  as  before,  but  the 
bottom  one  is  now  upright,  instead  of 
being  reversed. 

In  the  case  of  the  half  cent  stamp 
at  least,  we  find  an  additional  mar- 
ginal imprint  over  the  second  and 
third  stamps  of  the  top  row.  This 
consists  of  the  words  HALF  CENT, 
in  shaded  Roman  capitals  4  mm.  high, 
the  whole  being  about  40  mm.  long. 
Presumably  the  same  thing,  varied  for 
each  denomination, '  occurs  on  other 
values  of  the  series,  as  we  find  it  does 
on  the  succeeding  issue ;  but  a  strip 
from  the  top  of  a  sheet  of  the  15  cent 
stamps  proves  that  it  was  lacking  on 
that  value  at  least. 

The  new  stamps  came  into  use  on 
April  1st,  1868,  and  are  all  much  alike 
in  design.  All  values  show  a  profile 
portrait  of  Queen  Victoria,  with  head 
to  right,  on  a  background  of  horizontal 
lines  writhin  a  circle,  but  the  ornamenta- 
tion and  disposition  of  the  inscriptions 
and  numerals  of  value  in  the  surround- 
ing frame  is  different  on  each.  The 
Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  for  May, 
1868,  in  announcing  the  issue,  gives  a 
good  description  which  we  cannot  for- 
bear quoting,  viz : — 

We  are  now  in  possession  of,  as  we 
presume,  the  entire  series  of  stamps 
for  the  Dominion  of  Canada,  consist- 
ing of  seven  values — 1/2  cent,  1,  2,  3, 
6,  12^,  and  15  cents.  It  would  be  in- 
deed odious  to  compare  them  with  the 
issues  for  another  confederation  late- 
ly formed.  They  are  the  work  of  a 
newly-formed  colonial  company,  and 
are  worthy  to  take  rank  beside  any 
which  have  been  manufactured  by  the 
rival  companies  of  New  York.  The 
design,  as  we  stated  last  month  in 
noticing  the  15c — the  first  of  the  set  to 
appear — bears  a  resemblance  to  that  of 
the  lower  values  of  Nova  Scotia,  but 
shows  the  Queen's  head  turned  to  the 
right.  The  new  "British  American 
Bank  Note  Company,  of  Montreal  and 
Ottawa",  has  done  well  to  copy  so 
good  a  device,  and  certainly  has  not 


spoilt  it,  as  the  English  engravers  did 
in  the  four  penny  South  Australian. 
Moreover,  whilst  retaining  the  central 
figure,  by  enclosing  it  in  a  differently- 
patterned  frame  for  each  value,  they 
have  given  greater  variety  to  the 
series.  In  all,  care  has  been  taken  to 
make  the  numerals  distinct;  and  it  is 
as  well  that  this  has  been  done,  as  two 
of  the  values  assimilate  considerably 
in  shade.  The  half  cent  is  distin- 
guished from  the  rest  by  its  smallness 
— it  is  quite  one-third  less  in  size,  but 
the  device  is  the  same.  The  stamps 
are  all  printed  on  substantial  paper, 
are  perforated,  and  of  the  following 
colors  : 
Yz  cent  black  3  cents  vermilion 

1  dull  red       6  brown 

2  green          12  J^    '       deep-blue 

15  cents  mauve 

The  two  lowest  values  are  for  news- 
papers, and  are  far  from  being  ac- 
ceptable, notwithstanding  their  beauty 
of  design,  to  the  journalists.  It  had 
been  expected  that  newspapers  would 
be  sent  throughout  the  Canadian 
provinces  free  of  charge;  and  there 
has  been  in  consequence,  a  loud  but 
ineffectual  outcry  against  the  general 
imposition  of  even  a  reduced  rate  of 
postage,  and  more  especially  at  the 
enactment,  that  the  charge  must  be 
paid  by  senders.  "Proprietors  of 
journals,"  says  the  Quebec  Chronicle, 
"find  it  hard  enough  at  present  to  col- 
lect the  simple  subscription,  without 
demanding  postage  in  advance.  People 
who  writhe  at  present  under  the  pay- 
ment of  their  bare  paper  account,  will 
find  forwarding  postage,  in  advance, 
an  excruciating  sacrifice."  The  2 
cents  is  no  doubt  primarily  intended 
for  soldiers'  letters.  The  3  cents  pays 
the  new  single  rate  for  postage;  the  6 
cents  the  charge  on  letters  to  the 


United  States.  The  12T/k  represents 
the  postage  to  England;  and  the  15c 
the  rate  for  letters  sent  via  New  York. 
Possibly  a  lOc  will  yet  be  added  to  the 
series,  but  the  old  17c  will  find  no  sub- 
stitute in  it.  The  new  rates  came  into 
operation  on  the  1st  April,  and  we 
suppose  on  that  date  all  the  pre-exist- 
ing stamps  of  Canada,  Nova  Scotia, 
and  New  Brunswick  were  withdrawn. 


The  stamps  of  this  series  provide 
quite  an  extensive  range  of  shades,  es- 
pecially as  regards  the  2c,  6c,  and  15c. 
In  the  case  of  the  latter  value  the  range 
of  tints  is  so  great  that  it  is  difficult  to 
know  what  was  its  originally  intended 
color.  The  first  shade  was  evidently 
mauve,  as  given  in  the  Stamp  Collector's 
Magazine  chronicle,  but,  as  is  so  fre- 
quently the  case  with  mauves,  lilacs  and 
violets,  tint  variations  were  soon  noticed. 
Shades  varying  from  deep  red  lilac  to 
grey  and  blue-grey  are  known.  It  is 
difficult  to  draw  the  line,  in  some  in- 
stances, between  true  shades  and  "fades" 
but  the  grey  would  appear  to  be  un- 
doubtedly a  true  color  variety  and  one 
that  should  be  recognised  as  a  pro- 
visional, if  wholly  unintentional,  color 
change.  Scott,  in  fact,  lists  it  as  a 
separate  issue  under  the  date  1875-77, 
but  this  is  an  arbitrary  classification 
which  has,  apparently,  no  foundation  in 
fact,  and  the  best  plan  is  to  include  the 
variety  in  its  logical  place  with  the  rest 
of  the  1868  series. 

The  paper  used  for  this  set  of  stamps 
is  what  is  generally  known,  as  "wove" 
and  it  varies,  as  Mr.  Howes  states, 
"from  a  very  thin,  almost  pelure  quality 
to  a  quite  hard  and  thick  variety."  Mr. 
King,  who  was  evidently  untiring  in  his 
efforts  to  discover  varieties  of  paper, 
says,  "This  series  is  of  a  most  interest- 
ing nature,  having  a  very  large  number 
of  varieties  of  paper,  all  quite  distinct, 
and  specimens  of  some  are  of  consider- 
able rarity."  Mr.  King  then  lets  him- 
self go  and  describes  some  seventeen 
varieties  of  paper  but,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  two  well  marked  varieties  to 
which  we  shall  make  extended  reference 
shortly,  they  all  seem  to  resolve  them- 
selves into  minute  variations  of  the  wove 
paper  such  as  can  be  found  in  connec- 
tion with  most  stamps  of  the  'sixties  and 
'seventies  with  the  aid  of  a  micrometer 
and  a  well  trained  imagination!  We 
doubt  whether  any  specialist,  however 
willing  and  enthusiastic,  could  follow 
Mr.  King  through  his  intricate  listing. 

Scott's  catalogue  lists  a  sub-variety  of 
all  values  except  the  Y^  °n  "water- 
marked" paper.  The  watermarked  let- 
ters found  in  these  stamps  were  known 
at  least  as  early  as  1870  and  much  specu- 
lation was  rife  as  to  their  meaning.  Mr. 
John  N.  Luff  finally  solved  the  problem 
by  assembling  a  large  number  of  the 
watermarked  stamps  so  that  he  was  able 
to  reconstruct  the  complete  watermark, 
viz: — 

E.  &  C.  BOTHWELL 
CLUTHA  MILLS 

The  letters  are  large  double  lined  cap- 
itals 12  Yz  mm.  high  with  the  exception 


32 


of  the  initial  letters  E,  C  and  B  of  the 
upper  line,  which  are  13  mm.  high.  The 
"watermark"  is,  of  course,  the  trade- 
mark of  the  paper  manufacturer  and, 
like  other  watermarks  of  a  similar 
nature,  it  is  not  of  very  great  philatelic 
importance.  It  is  very  generally  pre- 
sumed that  the  paper  watermarked  in 
this  manner  was  used  provisionally — an 
opinion  with  which  Mr.  Howes  seems  to 
concur  by  his  statement  that  "the  water- 
marked paper  must  therefore  have  been 
used  sometime  during  the  course  of  the 
year  1868,  probably  the  middle,  when 
supplies  of  all  values  except  the  ]/2C  were 
printed."  But  we  fail  to  find  from  any 
evidence  so  far  adduced  that  this  water- 
marked paper  was  in  use  only  during 
some  well  defined  period.  The  fact  that 
it  is  not  found  in  connection  with  the  l/2C 
proves  nothing  for  this  value  was  of  a 
different  size  from  the  others  and  doubt- 
less paper  of  a  different  size,  but  the 
same  quality  was  used  so  as  to  prevent 
unnecessary  waste  in  cutting  into  sheets 
for  printing.  At  best,  as  we  have  al- 
ready stated,  it  is  but  a  papermaker's 
trade  mark,  and  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand on  what  grounds  it  is  included  in 
the  catalogue  as  a  variety  to  the  exclu- 
sion of  similar  and  well  known  examples 
in  the  stamps  of  other  countries.  We 
must  confess  that  more  importance  seems 
to  be  attached  to  the  variety  than  is  war- 
ranted by  its  philatelic  status  and  we 
commend  to  our  readers'  attention 
Major  E.  B.  Evans'  pertinent  comments 
regarding  it,  viz  : — 

We  feel  bound  to  state  that,  unless 
the  paper  itself  is  of  a  different  nature 
from  the  plain  wove,  this  watermark 
seems    to    us    to    possess    no    interest 
whatever.     It  is  evidently  entirely  un- 
official, and  it  is  quite  possible  that  it 
only    occurred    in    one    sheet    out    of 
several  of  identically  the  same  paper. 
The  other  variety  of  paper  which  calls 
for    special    mention    is    a    "laid"    paper 
found  in  connection  with  the  Ic  and  3c 
values.     It    is    obviously    a    true    "laid" 
paper,  the  laid  lines  being  very  distinct, 
fairly    wide    and    quite    evenly    spaced. 
While   the   use   of   this   paper   was,    no 
doubt,   quite   unintentional,    it   is   a   dis- 
tinct  variation    from   the   normal   wove 
which  cannot  be  ignored  by  specialists, 
though  we  hardly  think  it  is  entitled  to 
rank  as  a  "major"  variety  as  shown  by 
the     classification     followed     in     Scott's 
catalogue.     The  3c  was  discovered  first 
and    was    mentioned    in    the    Philatelic 
Record   for   March,   1882,   as   follows : — 
"Mr.   Tapling  informs   us   that   he   pos- 
sesses the  3  cents  red,  issue  of  1868,  on 


laid   paper."     A    few   months    later    Mr. 
Corwin    discovered    a    copy    of    the    Ic 
which  he  described  in  the  National  Phi- 
latelist for  January,  1883,  as  follows  : — 
Some  time  since  I  saw  noted  in  the 
Philatelic  Record  the  existence  of  a 
3  cent  Canada  stamp,  emission  of  1868, 
on    laid    paper.     In    looking    through 
my   Canadian  varieties,   after   reading 
this  note,  I  discovered  also  a  copy  of 
the  one  cent  red,  same  emission,  on 
laid  paper. 

This  laid  paper  was  evidently  used 
during  the  printing  of  the  early  supplies 
of  the  Ic  and  3c  denominations.  Scott's 
catalogue  lists  the  varieties  under  the 
date  "1870"  but  we  can  find  no  evidence 
of  any  kind  in  support  of  this  classifica- 
tion. Messrs.  Corwin  and  King  record 
a  copy  of  the  Ic  postmarked  November 
27th,  1868,  and  the  3c  is  known  dated 
August  31st,  1868,  all  of  which  points  to 
the  early  use  of  this  laid  paper.  The 
15c  on  "thin  paper,  horizontally  laid" 
was  mentioned  in  the  American  Journal 
of  Philately  for  October,  1892,  on  the 
authority  of  Mr.  F.  de  Coppet  but  as  the 
variety  is  not  now  catalogued  and  no 
copy  seems  to  be  known  we  presume  its 
authenticity  is  a  debatable  question. 
The  Ic,  orange,  was  at  one  time  listed 
on  laid  paper  but  this  has  been  satisfac- 
torily proved  to  be  simply  a  "figment  of 
the  imagination". 

In  his  article  in  the  London  Philatelist 
Mr.  C.  L.  Pack  describes  the  15c  as 
existing  on  "distinctly  soft  ribbed  paper". 
Mr.  King  gives  "ribbed"  varieties  for  all 
values  on  both  thin  and  thick  soft  paper 
but,  as  in  the  case  of  the  earlier  Cana- 
dian stamps  found  on  ribbed  paper,  we 
think  a  lot  of  proof  is  yet  necessary  be- 
fore these  varieties  can  be  accepted  as 
anything  better  than  accidental  vagaries 
of  printing. 

The  perforation  used  for  the  stamps 
of  this  series  had  a  gauge  of  12,  as  with 
the  stamps  of  the  preceding  issue,  and 
was  the  work  of  single  line  or  guillotine 
machines.  That  is,  each  line  of  perfo- 
ration, both  horizontally  and  vertically, 
represented  a  separate  stroke  on  the  ma- 
chine. The  Monthly  Journal  for  Feb- 
ruary, 1809,  lists  a  minor  variety  of 
perforation  in  the  2c,  3c,  6c,  12^c  and 
15c  denominations  in  which  the  measure- 
ment is  11^2  x  12.  Whether  a  machine 
with  a  gauge  of  11^  was  in  temporary 
use  at  some  time  or  other  is  uncertain 
but  if  such  was  the  case  it  seems  strange 
that  no  copies  are  known  perf.  11^  all 
round  or  perf.  12  x  11^.  Even  if  it 
were  due  to  a  slight  error  in  the  placing 
of  the  perforating  needles  in  some  part 


33 


of  the  full  row  it  is  strange  that  speci- 
mens gauging  12  x  11^2  are  not  known. 
We  have  been  unable  to  find  any  further 
references  to  these  varieties  other  than 
that  stated  above  so  that,  until  more  in- 
formation is  forthcoming  on  the  subject, 
they  should  be  accepted  with  reserve. 

The  15c  of  this  series  is  known  en- 
tirely imperforate  and  Mr.  Howes  re- 
cords the  J^c  as  existing  in  a  horizontal 
pair,  imperforate  between. 

The  only  "split"  found  in  connection 
with  this  series  occurs  in  the  case  of  the 
6c  denomination,  diagonal  halves  of 
which  are  known  to  have  done  postal 


duty  as  3c.  These  appear  to  have  been 
entirely  unauthorized  though,  as  they 
undoubtedly  passed  through  the  mail, 
they  have  an  interest  to  collectors  of 
stamps  on  cover. 

Reference  List. 

1868.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  British 
American  Bank  Note  Company,  at 
Ottawa.  Wove  paper.  Perf.  12. 

16.  Y2c  black,  Scott's  No.  21. 

17.  Ic  brown   red,   Scott's   No.  22. 

18.  2c  green,  Scott's  No.  23. 

19.  3c  red,  Scott's  No.  24. 

20.  6c  brown,  Scott's  No.  25. 

21.  12|c  blue,   Scott's  No.  26. 

22.  Inc  lilac,   Scott's  No.  27. 

23.  15c  gray,  Scott's  No.  39. 


CHAPTER  VIII.— The  ic  Orange  of  1869. 


The  Ic  and  3c  stamps  of  1868  were  so 
alike  in  color  that  it  was  soon  found 
that  confusion  was  easily  possible  be- 
tween the  two  values.  Early  in  1869, 
therefore,  the  color  of  the  Ic  was 
changed  to  orange  to  prevent  further 
mistakes.  The  exact  date  at  which  this 
change  took  place  is  not  known,  but  in 
the  Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  for 
March  1st,  1869,  we  read : — 

We  have  just  received  copies  of  the 
one  cent  printed  in  brilliant  orange.  No 
doubt  this  colour  has  been  adopted  in 
order  better  to  distinguish  it  from 
the  3  cents,  which  it  has  hitherto  too 
nearly  approached. 

From  the  above  extract  it  would  seem 
that  the  orange  colored  stamps  were  in 
use  at  least  as  early  as  February  and 
though  it  has  been  asserted  that  the 
change  took  place  on  January  1st,  1869, 
we  believe  there  are  no  official  docu- 
ments or  early  dated  specimens  in  exist- 


ence that  would  substantiate  this  state- 
ment. 

These  Ic  stamps  may  be  found  in  both 
orange  and  yellow  shades  as  well  as  a 
combination  of  both.  So  far  as  is  known 
they  were  printed  from  the' same  plate 
or  plates  as  the  earlier  brown-red 
stamps. 

The  paper  is  the  same  as  that  used  for 
the  other  denominations,  i.  e.  wove,  and 
the  fact  that  this  variety  is  not  known 
with  the  watermark  of  the  paper-maker's 
trade  mark  is  generally  adduced  as  the 
strongest  evidence  in  support  of  the 
theory  that  this  watermarked  paper  was 
only  of  a  provisional  nature  and  was 
used  some  time  during  1868. 

The  perforation  is  the  usual  12  and 
specimens  are  known  entirely  imperfo- 
rate. 

Reference  List. 

1869.     Change  of  color.     Wove  Paper.  Perf.  12. 
24.       Ic  orange,  Scott's  No.  31. 


CHAPTER  IX. — The  Large  5c  Stamp. 


Although  it  somewhat  interrupts  the 
chronological  sequence  of  our  narrative, 
before  dealing  with  the  small  "cents" 
stamps,  first  appearing  in  1870,  it  will 
be  as  well  to  give  the  history  of  the 
large  5c  stamp  which,  though  not  issued 
until  1875,  really  belongs  by  virtue  of  its 
type  and  general  appearance  to  the  series 
of  1868. 

It  is  known  that  the  die  for  this  5c 
stamp  was  engraved  in  1867  at  the  same 
time  the  dies  for  the  ^c,  Ic,  2c,  3c,  6c, 
12^2C  and  15c  values  were  prepared  for, 
in  the  American  Journal  of  Philately  for 
June,  1868,  it  is  stated  : — 

The  Canadian  Government  have  had 
a  5  cent  stamp  prepared,  engraved  of 


the  same  type  as  the  present  set,  the 
most   noticeable   difference  being   the 
circle  round  the  head  which  is  corded. 
The   specimen    sent   us    is    printed   in 
brown    on    India    paper,    bearing    the 
Company's  imprint  underneath. 
Though    the    die    was    all    ready,    as 
amply  proved  by  the  above  extract,  no 
plate  was   made   as   there  was   then  no 
postal  rate  which  required  such  a  denom- 
ination.     In    1875,    however,    the    single 
letter   rate  between   Canada   and   Great 
Britain  was  reduced  to  5c  as  stated  in 
the     Postmaster-General's     Report     for 
1875,  viz.  :— 

A  treaty  for  the  formation  of  a  Gen- 
eral Postal  Union,  and  for  the  adop- 


34 


tion  of  uniform  postal  rates  and 
regulations  for  International  corre- 
spondence, was  arranged  and  signed  at 
Berne,  Switzerland,  in  October,  1874, 
by  the  representatives  of  the  Post 
Offices  of  the  chief  Nations  of  the 
world.  This  agreement  took  effect  be- 
tween all  the  countries  which  were 
directly  parties  to  the  Treaty  in  July 
last  The  Treaty  did  not  include  the 
British  Possessions  beyond  the  sea, 
but  Canada  has,  with  the  concurrence 
of  the  Imperial  Government,  applied 
for  admission  as  a  member  of  this 
Postal  Union.  Meanwhile  the  letter 
rate  of  postage  between  Canada  and 
the  United  Kingdom  has,  by  arrange- 
ment with  the  Imperial  Post  Office, 
been  reduced  to  the  International  rate 
of  2l/2  pence  sterling — 5  cents  currency 
— established  by  the  Union  Regula- 
tions ;  and  this  reduction  has  also  been 
made  applicable  to  correspondence 
passing  by  way  of  New  York,  making 
the  rate  between  Canada  and  the  United 
Kingdom  uniform  at  5  cents  by  what- 
ever route  conveyed. 

Although  the  Report  alluded  to  above 
is  dated  June  30th,  it  must  have  been 
published  at  a  later  date  as  the  "July 
last"  mentioned  refers  to  July,  1875,  and 
when  the  5  cent  rate  came  into  operation 
stamps  to  fit  this  new  rate  were  wanted 
in  such  a  hurry  that,  as  a  temporary 
expedient,  a  plate  was  made  from  the 
die  engraved  in  1867  pending  the  prepa- 
ration of  a  die  conforming  to  the  small 
sized  stamps  then  in  general  use.  There 
was  only  one  printing  and  the  total  num- 
ber issued  is  believed  to  have  been  about 
one  million.  Mr.  Howes  says  it  was 
issued  on  October  1st,  1875. 

In  1877  the  5c  single  letter  rate  was, 
by  treaty,  extended  to  embrace  the  Ger- 
man states  of  Prussia,  Baden,  Bavaria. 
Hanover,  Saxony  and  Wurtemberg  and 
in  the  same  year  the  rate  on  a  single 
letter  to  Newfoundland  was  reduced 
from  6c  to  5c.  At  this  time,  of  course, 
the  small  sized  5c  stamps  were  in  use 
but  it  will  better  preserve  the  continuity 
of  our  study  of  the  postal  rates  to  make 
one  more  extract  from  the  Postmaster- 
General's  Reports — that  for  1878, — viz. : 
At  the  meeting  of  the  International 

Postal    Congress,    which,    under    the 


provisions  of  the  Postal  Treaty  of 
Berne,  concluded  in  October,  1874, 
took  place  at  Paris  in  May,  1878,  Can- 
ada was  admitted  to  be  a  member  of 
the  General  Postal  Union  from  the  1st 
July,  1878,  and  in  consequence  the 
rate  of  letter  postage  between  Canada 
and  all  Europe  became  one  uniform 
charge  of  5  cents  per  half  ounce. 
Newspapers  and  other  printed  matter, 
and  samples  and  patterns  of  merchan- 
dise also  became  subject  to  uniform 
postage  rates  and  regulations  for  all 
destinations  in  Europe. 

The  5c  rate  was,  thus,  now  well  estab- 
lished, and  Canada  had  obtained  mem- 
bership in  the  Universal  Postal  Union, 
for  which  she  had  been  striving  since 
1875. 

This  large  5c  stamp  was  printed  by  the 
line-engraved  process,  like  the  other 
denominations  of  similar  designs.  The 
portrait  forming  the  centrepiece  is  like 
that  on  the  values  of  1868  though  the 
medallion  is  enclosed  within  a  "corded" 
circle  instead  of  an  ordinary  plain  line. 
"CANADA  POSTAGE"  is  curved  above 
the  portrait,  as  usual,  while  below  is 
"FIVE  CENTS".  The  numerals,  shown 
in  the  lower  corners,  are  somewhat 
smaller  than  those  on  the  other  denomi- 
nations of  this  type. 

The  stamps  were  printed  in  sheets  of 
100,  in  ten  rows  of  ten,  and  with  regard 
to  the  marginal  imprints  Mr.  Howes 
tells  us  that  "The  sheet  bore  four  mar- 
ginal imprints,  arranged  as  before,  but 
of  a  slightly  different  type  for  the  1868 
issue.  This  new  imprint  is  in  capitals 
and  lower  case  letters  on  a  colored  strip 
56  mm.  long  and  2^  mm.  wide,  with  a 
border  of  pearls,  and  reads :  'British 
American  Bank  Note  Co.  Montreal'. 
Doubtless  the  words  FIVE  CENTS  in 
shaded  Roman  capitals  would  be  found 
over  the  second  and  third  stamps  of  the 
top  row  if  one  were  fortunate  enough  to 
possess  this  portion  of  a  sheet." 

The  stamps  were  printed  on  the  wove 
paper  then  in  use  and  perforated  12  in 
the  usual  manner. 

Reference  List. 

1875.     Engraved    and    Printed    by   the    British 
American  Bank  Note  Co.,  Montreal. 
Wove  paper.     Perf.  12. 
25.       5c   olive   green,    Scott's   No.   37. 


CHAPTER  X.  —  The   Small  "Cents"   Stamps. 


In  the  American  Journal  of  Philately 
for  August,  1869,  we  read  "Canada  is 
shortly  to  have  a  new  set  of  stamps. 


Taking  lessons  in  economy  from  our 
own  country,  it  seems  they  are  about 
altering  their  stamps  to  make  them 


35 


smaller,  so  as  to  save  paper.  The  head 
will  still  remain  exactly  the  same  as 
now,  but  the  frame  and  the  margin 
around  the  head  will  be  considerably 
less.  We  cannot  see  how  this  can  be 
done  without  spoiling  the  beauty  of  the 
stamp.  As  to  whether  they  are  to  re- 
tain the  same  colors  we  are  unable  to 
say."  The  1869  issue  of  the  United 
States  was  in  use  at  that  time,  and 
though  this  series  is  now  generally  pop- 
ular it  was  regarded  with  very  mixed 
feelings  then  as  may  be  imagined  from 
the  Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  com- 
ments on  the  above  statement,  viz. : — 
"We  trust  this  intelligence  is  incorrect; 
that  the  example  of  the  new  United 
States  stamps  can  have  any  attractive 
influence  on  the  Canadian  authorities  is 
hardly  possible." 

The  new  issues  do  not  seem  to  have 
formed  the  subject  of  any  special  official 
document  or  notice,  nor  does  the  re- 
duction in  the  size  of  the  labels  seem  to 
have  been  considered  worthy  of  special 
mention  in  any  of  the  Reports  issued  by 
the  Postmaster-General. 

These  smaller  sized  stamps  were  is- 
sued as  the  stocks  of  the  earlier  issues 
became  exhausted  or,  in  some  cases, 
presumably  as  the  old  plates  were  dis- 
carded owing  to  wear,  but  it  appears 
very  probable  that  the  dies  for  the  Ic, 
2c,  3c,  6c  and  lOc  denominations  were 
all  engraved  at  the  same  period  and,  as 
regards  the  2c,  6c  and  lOc,  it  is  very 
possible  that  supplies  were  printed  and 
held  in  stock  long  before  it  became 
necessary  to  issue  them  to  the  public. 

The  3c  was  the  first  value  to  appear 
and  was  probably  on  sale  some  time 
in  January,  1870.  The  Stamp  Collector's 
Magazine  for  March  1st  of  that  year 
chronicled  this  new  stamp  as  follows  : — 
It  appears  that  the  reduction  in  the 
size  of  the  Dominion  postage  stamps, 
to  which  reference  was  made  some 
months  ago,  is  really  to  be  carried  out, 
and  as  an  earnest  of  the  execution  of 
the  project,  we  receive  the  three  cents 
red,  cut  down  to  the  size  of  the  half 
cent,  and  with  the  design  made  to 
resemble  that  of  the  latter.  The 
numerals  in  the  upper  corners  are 
absent;  the  inscription,  CANADA 
POSTAGE,  is  in  almost  microscopic 
lettering,  and  in  lieu  of  the  full  denom- 
ination—THREE  CENTS— in  the 
lower  margin,  the  word  CENTS  alone 
appears,  flanked  by  the  figure  on  each 
side.  The  cause  of  the  change  is  not 
to  be  sought  in  any  desire  to  economise 
paper ;  it  lies  in  the  simple  fact  that 
the  smaller  size  is  found  the  more 
convenient.  The  design  certainly  is 


not  improved  by  it,  and  we  might  call 
upon  these  little  stamps  to  "hide  their 
diminished  heads,"  were  it  not  that 
the  head,  and  that  alone,  remains  as 
large  as  ever.  The  stamps,  though  in 
a  fair  way  to  become  small  by  degrees 
as  the  Canadian  idea  of  convenience 
increases,  are  not  likely  to  become 
"beautifully  less."  A  new  value,  how- 
ever, made  up  from  the  parings  of  the 
old  ones — an  8  cents — is  said  to  be  in 
preparation,  and  will  help  to  make  up 
in  quantity,  for  any  deterioration  in 
the  quality. 

The  next  value  to  appear  was  the  1 
cent,  which  was  recorded  in  the  journal 
referred  to  above  in  its  issue  for  April 
1st,  so  that  it  was  no  doubt  on  sale 
some  time  in  March,  1869.  In  design  it 
is  similar  to  the  3c,  the  main  difference 
being  in  the  inscription  at  base.  The  de- 


nomination is  given  in  full— ONE  CENT 
— and  this  follows  the  curve  of  the  me- 
dallion instead  of  curving  in  the  reverse 
direction  as  CENTS  does  on  the  3c. 

Evidently  there  were  large  stocks  on 
hand  of  some  of  the  values  of  the  1868 
issue  for  two  years  elapsed  before  any 
more  _of  the  small  stamps  appeared. 
Then  in  the  Stamp  Collector's  Magazine 
for  February,  1872,  we  read : — "We  have 
received  by  the  last  mail  specimens  of  a 
new  6  cents  brown  of  the  small  size.  It 
is  printed  of  a  warm  tint,  and  is  as 
effective  as  its  congeners."  The  design 
follows  that  of  the  3c  very  closely  with, 
of  course,  the  numerals  "6"  instead  of 
"3"  in  the  lower  angles. 

In  the  following  month  the  2c  was 
chronicled,  its  color  being  given  as  "a 
delicate  chrome-green."  The  design 
differs  from  the  3c  and  6c  chiefly  in  the 
direction  of  the  curve  of  the  word 
CENTS,  which  is  reversed,  as  com- 
pared with  those  denominations,  and 
much  less  pronounced. 

The  lOc  was  the  next  value  to  appear 
and  it  was  not  on  sale  until  quite  late  in 
1874,  probably  about  November  1st.  The 
design  follows  the  general  effect  of  the 
2c  but  at  the  same  time  illustrates  a  new 
departure,  inasmuch  as  the  numerals  of 
value  are  repeated  in  the  upper  corners 
in  a  smaller  form.  For  what  particular 


36 


purpose  this  value  was  intended  is  not 
clear  for  there  was,  apparently,  no  regu- 
lar rate  at  that  time  which  required  such 
a  denomination. 

The  next  value  placed  on  sale  was  the 
5c,  which  was  issued  in  Februray,  1876, 
and  superseded  the  large  5c  design  after 
it  had  been  in  use  for  only  about  four 
months.  Though  the  portrait  is  the  same 
as  that  on  the  other  values  the  frame 
is  of  a  distinctly  different  style  and 
CENTS  is  in  much  larger  letters  than 
before,  showing  that  the  previous  values, 
following  as  they  do  a  general  pattern, 
were  engraved  much  about  the  same  time 
though  many  years  elapsed  before  all 
were  actually  in  use. 


Finally  in  July,  1882,  the  l/2c  value 
appeared  and  was  recorded  in  the  Phila- 
telic Record  for  July  of  that  year  in  the 
following  words : — 

That  "history  repeats  itself"  is  a 
proverb  that  is  curiously  illustrated  by 
the  latest  issue  of  this  colony.  We  all 
remember  that  in  1868  a  HC  stamp 
of  smaller  size  than  the  other  values 
of  the  series  was  emitted.  A  few 
years  later,  some  say  for  economical 
reasons,  the  other  values  were  reduced 
to  the  smaller  size.  Recently  it  seems 
to  have  struck  the  Canadian  authori- 
ties that  their  idea  of  fourteen  years 
ago  was  a  happy  one,  and  the  He  has 
been  proportionately  cut  down.  The 
general  arrangements  of  the  design  re- 
main the  same,  but  the  ornamentation 
is  simpler.  The  head  and  circle  con- 
taining it  are  miniatures  of  the  for- 
mer, and  the  result  is  what  the  ladies 
would  call  "a  dear  little  stamp,"  about 
the  size  of  our  lately  defunct  "Half- 
penny," but  an  upright  instead  of  an 
oblong  rectangle.  \Ve  trust  the  price 
of  paper  will  not  again  cause  a  general 
reduction;  for  if  the  Canadian  stamps 
go  on  growing  "small  by  degrees,  and 
beautifully  less,"  they  will  in  time  be- 
come too  microscopic  to  be  collectible. 

After  the  issue  of  the  He  value  the 
only  denominations  of  the  1868  series 
not  provided  with  successors  in  the 
issue  under  notice  were  the  12Hc  and 
15c.  Regarding  the  former  value  the 


Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  for  May, 
1872,  says,  on  the  authority  of  a  Cana- 
dian journal : — "It  is  unlikely  that  the 
12Hc  small  size  will  be  issued,  as  the 
large  ones  are  very  little  used,  and 
can  now  be  bought  at  the  post-office 
for  12  cents."  But  some  three  years 
later  the  American  Journal  of  Philately 
asserted  that  "Canada  will  shortly  issue 
the  12Hc  and  loc  values  of  postals  in 
small  size,  to  correspond  with  the  others 
of  the  series."  These  stamps,  however, 
never  materialised  though  that  dies  and 
plates  were  made  and  stamps  printed 
from  them  is  evident  from  the  exist- 
ence of  perforated  essays  of  these  two 
values.  The  portrait  is  exactly  like 
that  of  the  other  denominations,  and 
the  borders  are,  on  general  lines,  so 
like  the  Ic,  2c,  3c,  6c  and  lOc  as  to  give 
considerable  support  to  the  belief  that 
these  unissued  varieties  were  prepared 
for  use  at  quite  an  early  date. 

The  stamps  of  this  series  were  all  pro- 
duced by  the  line-engraved  process  and 
all  values,  with  the  exception  of  the  HC, 
were  at  first  printed  in  sheets  of  100, 
arranged  in  ten  horizontal  rows  of  ten. 
The  HC  was  printed  in  sheets  of  200,  ar- 
ranged in  two  panes  of  100  each,  placed 
side  by  side.  A  space  of  about  11  mm. 
separated  the  two  panels  and  these  large 
sheets  were  cut  into  halves  before  leav- 
ing the  printing  establishment,  thus  mak- 
ing "post-office"  sheets  of  100  stamps. 
In  the  later  months  of  1892  or  early  in 
1893  the  Ic,  2c  and  3c  values— the  ones 
in  most  general  demand — were  printed 
in  large  sheets  of  200  arranged  in  ten 
horizontal  rows  of  twenty  stamps  each. 

A  close  study  of  a  large  quantity  of 
these  stamps  would  probably  result  in 
the  discovery  of  many  interesting  varie- 
ties in  the  way  of  double  transfers.  In 
the  few  stamps  at  our  disposal  we  have 
found  but  one  of  any  prominence.  This 
occurs  on  the  3c  denomination  the  top 
portion  of  the  design  haying  plainly  been 
applied  to  the  plate  twice,  the  doubling 
being  especially  noticeable  in  the  inscrip- 
tion CANADA  POSTAGE. 

As  these  stamps  were  in  use  for  a 
fairly  lengthy  period — nearly  thirty  years 
in  the  case  of  the  3c — it  is  obvious  that  a 
large  number  of  plates  must  have  been 
made,  especially  for  those  denominations 
which  were  generally  used.  At  different 
times  different  marginal  imprints  or  ar- 
rangements of  the  imprints  were  used, 
and  given  sufficient  material  a  study  of 
these  marginal  varieties  should  reveal 
much  of  interest.  Mr.  Howes  has  paid 
particular  attention  to  these  varieties  and 
the  following  notes  are  chiefly  based  on 
his  investigations. 


37 


The  earliest  plates  of  the  Ic,  2c,  3c,  5c 
and  6c,  and  probably  the  lOc  as  well  (as 
this  value  was  in  use  before  the  5c),  had 
the  denomination  in  words  above  the 
second  and  third  stamps  on  the  top  row 
of  each  sheet.  These  inscriptions,  "ONE 
CENT",  etc.,  were  in  large  shaded  Ro- 
man capitals  4  mm.  high.  In  the  centre 
of  each  of  the  four  margins  is  the  manu- 
facturer's imprint,  BRITISH  AMERI- 
CAN BANK  NOTE  CO.  MONTREAL 
&  OTTAWA,  in  colorless  Roman  capi- 
tals on  a  narrow  strip  of  color  1  mm.  wide 
and  51  mm.  long ;  this  imprint  being, 
in  fact,  exactly  like  that  found  on  the 
sheets  of  the  1868  issue.  These  remarks 
apply  to  the  Ic,  2c,  3c  and  6c  (and  prob- 
ably to  the  lOc  also),  but  not  to  the  5c. 

The  5c,  which  was  not  issued  until 
1876,  has  the  denomination  shown  in  the 
upper  margin  in  large  shaded  Roman 
capitals,  as  in  the  case  of  the  others,  but 
the  imprint  is  different,  being  like  that 
found  on  the  sheets  of  the  large  5c  stamp, 
i.  e.  "British  American  Bank  Note  Co. 
Montreal",  in  capitals  and  lower  case  let- 
ters on  a  strip  of  solid  color  56  mm.  long 
by  2l/2  mm.  wide,  with  a  pearled  border. 
This  imprint  was  shown  on  each  of  the 
four  margins. 

About  this  time  new  plates  made  for 
the  other  denominations  also  had  this  new 
style  of  imprint.  Sheets  of  the  Ic  and  3c 
show  the  imprint  on  top  and  bottom  mar- 
gins only,  but  whether  other  plates  were 
used  for  these  denominations  with  im- 
prints on  all  four  sides  is  not  known  for 
certain,  though  this  is  highly  probable. 
The  6c  and  lOc  values  of  this  series  have 
large  numerals,  "6"  or  "10"  as  the  case 
may  be,  above  the  second  stamp  in  the 
top  row,  while  above  the  ninth  stamp  of 
the  same  row  is  "SIX"  or  "TEN"  in 
shaded  Roman  capitals.  The  numerals 
are  very  thick  and  6  mm.  in  height,  while 
the  letters  are  4  mm.  high  as  on  the  earli- 
er plates,  though  the  word  "CENTS"  has 
now  been  dispensed  with.  This  arrange- 
ment has  not  been  noted  on  other  denom- 
inations as  yet,  though  there  is  no  reason 
why  it  should  not  be  found  in  connection 
with  the  Ic,  2c  and  3c. 

A  sheet  of  the  3c  value,  with  two  mar- 
ginal imprints,  is  noted  with  ''THREE" 
in  shaded  Roman  capitals  above  the  first 
two  stamps  of  the  top  row,  while  the  Ic 
is  recorded  without  any  marginal  desig- 
nation of  value  and  with  but  two  of  the 
"Montreal"  imprints. 

The  printing  establishment  of  the 
British  American  Bank  Note  Company 
was  removed  from  Montreal  to  Ottawa 
in  1888  and  plates  made  after  that  date 
show  a  new  style  of  imprint  viz : — 
"BRITISH  AMERICAN  BANKNOTE 


CO.  OTTAWA",  in  white  Roman  ca^i- 
tals  on  a  strip  of  solid  color  measuring 
40mm.  long  by  IJ^mm.  wide.     This,  it 
will  be  noted,  is  like  the  first  type  of  im- 
print but  with  the  words  "MONTREAL 
&"  removed.     On  the  2c  this  is  known 
49  mm.  long  and  nearly  2  mm.  wide,  this 
being  from  a  sheet  in  the  100  arrange- 
ment.     The    smaller    style    of    imprint 
seems  to  have  been  characteristic  of  the 
sheets  printed  in  the  200  size,  and  writing 
with  regard  to  these  Mr.  Howes  says : — 
The  "Ottawa"  imprint  appears  three 
times,  once  in  the  middle  of  the  top 
margin,   over   stamps   10  and   11,  and 
twice  in  the  bottom  margin,  beneath 
stamps    5    and    6,    and    again   beneath 
stamps  15  and  16.     There  are  no  im- 
prints at  the  sides.     The  denomination 
appears  in  the  top  margin  at  both  right 
and  left  and  in  a  new  style  of  lettering 
on  these  larger  plates.    Thus  we  find 
ONE   CENT   or   TWO   CENT   over 
stamps  2  and  3  as  well  as  18  and  19,  or 
THREE  CENT  over  the  first  four  and 
last    four    stamps    in    plain    Egyptian 
capitals. 

The  l/2t  value,  which  we  have  left  until 
last  on  account  of  its  different  sheet  ar- 
rangement, had  the  "Montreal"  imprint, 
described  in  connection  with  the  other 
values,  arranged  six  times  on  the  mar- 
gins— above  and  below  each  pane,  at  the 


right  of  the  right  hand  pane,  and  at  the 
left  of  the  left  hand  pane — so  that  there 
were  three  imprints  on  each  of  the  "post- 
office"  sheets  of  100  stamps.  In  addi- 
tion, to  quote  Mr.  Howes,  "over  the  top 
inscription  of  the  right  pane  is  the  re- 
versed figure  1,  4  mm.  high,  and  in  the 
same  position  on  the  left  pane  the  cor- 
responding figure  2,  evidently  to  desig- 
nate the  panes*" 

This  series  provides  a  number  of  shade 
varieties,  as  is  only  natural  in  a  set  hav- 
ing such  long  currency,  and  their  proper 
treatment  is  a  matter  involving  some 
little  perplexity.  It  was  evidently  the 
original  intention  of  the  printers  to  keep 
the  colors  of  the  small  stamps  as  nearly 
like  those  of  the  large  ones  they  super- 
seded as  possible,  and  while  many  shades 
match  the  colors  of  the  earlier  stamps 
to  a  nicety  others  show  a  divergence  that 


38 


at  times  almost  approaches  a  ''color 
change."  As  early  as  May,  1873,  the 
Stamp  Collector's  Magazine  noted  a 
change  in  the  shade  of  the  3c  viz. : — 

By  the  courtesy  of  a  Montreal  cor- 
respondent we  are  in  possession  of 
specimens  of  the  current  three  cents, 
printed  in  bright  orange-vermilion.  A 
supply  in  this  color  has  just  been  is- 
sued. 

The  Philatelic  Record  for  March,  1888, 
says  "The  lOc  is  now  in  carmine-red", 
and  again  in  May  that  "the  5  cents  has 
changed  its  color  from  bronze-green  to 
greenish  grey."  More  than  a  year  later 
(July,  1889)  the  same  journal  says  "the 
2  cents  stamp  is  now  blue-green ;"  in  De- 
cember, 1890,  the  6c  is  recorded  in  "chest- 
nut-brown" ;  while  in  April,  1892,  the  5c 
is  chronicled  as  having  been  issued  in 
"grey-black." 

Similar  color  changes  in  most  values 
were  recorded  in  other  journals  but  as 
there  is  an  almost  total  lack  of  agree- 
ment as  regards  the  names  chosen  to 
designate  the  different  shades  these 
chronicles  are  of  little  value  in  deter- 
mining the  chronological  order  of  issue 
of  even  the  most  striking  of  the  tints. 
It  is  also  more  than  probable  that  after 
a  change  had  been  made  the  original  or 
earlier  tints  were  reverted  to  later  on. 
The  catalogues  are  equally  at  variance 
in  their  choice  of  color  names  and  while 
Gibbons'  gives  four  shades  for  each  of 
the  Ic  and  3c  values,  Scott  gives  but  two 
for  the  Ic  and  of  the  four  given  for  the 
3c  not  one  agrees  with  any  of  the  names 
given  by  Gibbons'.  The  only  point  on 
which  both  catalogues  agree  is  that  a 
general  change  of  colors  took  place  dur- 
ing the  period  of  1888-90,  i.  e.,  after  the 
printers  had  moved  their  establishment 
from  Montreal  to  Ottawa.  But  though 
the  later  printings  of  the  6c  and  lOc  do, 
undoubtedly,  differ  very  materially  from 
the  earlier  colors — almost  enough  so,  in 
fact,  to  be  classed  as  distinct  colors — 
such  varieties  seem  to  have  been  purely 
accidental  and  to  classify  them  as  sepa- 
rate issues  hardly  seems  correct.  In  this 
connection  it  is  interesting  to  quote  Mr. 
Howes'  remarks : — 

That  the  above  changes  were  hardly 
of  a  character  to  warrant  dignifying 
them  as  a  "new  issue,"  which  is  fre- 
quently done,  is  shown  by  a  moment's 
consideration.  The  T/2c  and  Ic  stamps 
showed  no  appreciable  difference  in 
coloring  and  therefore  caused  no  com- 
ment. The  2  cent  did  not  retain  its 
blue  green  shade  unaltered,  and  the  3 
cent  soon  reverted  to  its  former  bril- 
liant red  hue,  as  the  Philatelic  Journal 


of  America  for  May,  1889,  says  that 
"the  carmine  color  recently  adopted 
has  been  dropped,  and  the  stamps  are 
printed  in  colors  similar  to  the  ones 
in  use  before  the  change  was  made." 
The  5,  6,  and  10  cent  stamps,  however, 
made  permanent  changes,  but  only 
such  as  might  readily  be  traceable  to 
a  new  mixing  of  the  inks  in  the  case 
of  the  first  two.  The  10  cent  can 
hardly  be  so  easily  disposed  of,  as  lake 
and  brown-red  are  of  quite  different 
composition  from  a  rose-lilac.  But 
there  can  have  been  no  official  inten- 
tion of  altering  the  shades  or  colors 
or  more  definite  and  permanent 
changes  would  certainly  have  been 
made  throughout  the  set.  It  remains, 
therefore,  to  classify  them  simply  as 
shade  varieties  of  the  original  set. 

Mr.  Donald  A.  King,  in  his  article  in 
the  Monthly  Journal,  gives  no  less  than 
eight  varieties  of  paper  for  the  stamps  of 
this  issue,  though  all  resolve  themselves 
into  slight,  and  in  many  cases  probably 
imperceptible,  variations  in  quality  and 
thickness  of  the  usual  "wove"  paper. 
Mr.  Howes  gives  a  thick  and  thin  wove 
and  "a  closely  ribbed  paper."  This  latter 
like  the  ribbed  varieties  in  the  earlier 
issues,  is  evidently  due  to  nothing  more 
than  some  eccentricity  of  printing  and  is, 
consequently,  of  doubtful  philatelic  im- 
portance. The  classification  of  the  series 
into  thick  and  thin  papers  seems  to  have 
more  to  be  said  in  its  favor  if  the  state- 
ment made  in  Gibbons'  catalogue  is  to  be 
relied  on.  According  to  a  foot  note  the 
stamps  printed  prior  to  1888  (that  is,  in 
Montreal),  are  on  a  thinner  paper  than 
was  used  for  subsequent  printings.  The 
Philatelic  Record  for  October,  1893,  men- 
tions the  lOc  as  being  found  on  "fine 
laid  paper"  but  this  was  evidently  the 
variety  more  generally  classified  as 
"ribbed." 

The  perforation  used  for  the  stamps 
of  this  series  was  the  usual  12 — the  work 
of  single-line  or  guillotine  machines.  All 
values  are  reported  to  exist  perforated 
\\l/2  by  12,  as  mentioned  in  connection 
with  the  issues  of  1868,  but  this  state- 
ment requires  verification  before  it  can 
be  accepted  as  authoritative.  All  values 
are  known  entirely  imperforate,  the  3c  in 
this  condition  being  first  recorded  in  the 
Philatelic  Record  for  December,  1882. 
Writing  in  the  London  Philatelist  in  1907 
Mr.  M.  H.  Horsley  says  with  regard  to 
these  varieties  : — "Imperforated  copies  of 
various  values  were  sold  over  the  Post- 
office  counter  in  Montreal  about  the  years 
1891-3  at  their  face  value,  and  have  been 
good  for  postage  whenever  people  cared 


39 


to  use  them."  Writing  a  little  later  on 
the  same  subject  Mr.  C.  L.  Pack  also 
vouches  for  them,  viz.  :  —  "I  quite  agree 
with  Mr.  Horsley  in  regard  to  the  vari- 
ous imperforate  copies  of  the  issues  of 
1882  to  1895.  There  are  a  good  many 
specimens  of  these  stamps  imperforate, 
and  they  were  on  sale  at  a  Canadian 
Post  Office."  Curiously  enough  Gibbons' 
catalogue  entirely  ignores  these  imper- 
forate stamps  though  Mr.  Howes  is  able 
to  adduce  documentary  evidence  in  sup- 
port of  the  statements  made  by  phila- 
telists of  such  undoubted  authority  as 
Messrs.  Horsley  and  Pack. 

Scott's  catalogue  records  the  */2c  as  ex- 
isting in  a  horizontal  pair  imperforate 
between. 

^The  same  work  records  the  2c  bisected 
diagonally  or  vertically  and  the  halves 
used  for  Ic  stamps,  while  Mr.  Howes 
adds  the  6c,  cut  vertically  and  used  for 
3c.  But  as  the  "Canadian  Postal  Guide" 
declares  that  "a  mutilated  stamp,  or  a 
stamp  cut  in  half,  is  not  recognised  in 
payment  of  postage"  such  freaks  can  only 
have  passed  through  the  mails  by  care- 
lessness ^  or  favor  and  their  philatelic 
interest  is  negligible. 

In  1875  an  Act  of  Parliament  was 
passed  making  the  prepayment  of  let- 
ters by  postage  stamn  obligatory  and  im- 
posing a  fine  of  double  the  deficiency  on 
all  insufficiently  prepaid  letters.  At  the 
same  time  local  or  drop  letters  (accepted 
for  Ic)  were  restricted  to  l/2  oz.  in 
weight. 

The  Postmaster-General's  Report  for 
1879  says:— 

A  reduction  has  been  made,  from  the 
1st  September  last,  in  the  postage  rate 
on  closed  parcels  sent  by  post  within 
the  Dominion,  from  12^  cents  per  8 
oz.  of  weight  to  6  cents  per  4  oz.  Un- 
der this  change  small  parcels  not  ex- 
ceeding 4  ounces  in  weight  are  ad- 
mitted to  pass  for  6  cents  instead  of 
cents  as  before. 


It  will  thus  be  seen  that  this  change 
did  away  with  the  chief  use  of  the  12^1c 
value  and  made  it  practically  useless. 
Hence  the  reason  it  was  never  included 
among  the  series  of  small  "cents"  stamps. 

In  1889  another  Post  Office  Act  in- 
creased the  limit  of  weight  of  single 


letters  from  l/2  oz.  to  1  oz.,  and  at  the 
same  time  "increased  the  postal  rate  on 
local  or  drop  letters  from  Ic  to  2c, 
though  a  weight  of  1  oz.  was  allowed 
under  the  new  schedule.  An  official  no- 
tice recording  these  changes  was  pub- 
lished as  follows  : — 

NOTICE  TO  THE  PUBLIC 

CHANGES    IN    POSTAGE   RATES   UNDER 
AUTHORITY  OF  POST  OFFICE  ACT  1889. 

The  rate  of  postage  upon  Letters 
posted  in  Canada,  addressed  to  places 
within  the  Dominion  or  in  the  United 
States,  will  be  3  cents  per  ounce  in- 
stead of  3  cents  per  half  ounce  as  here- 
tofore. Upon  Drop  Letters  posted  at 
an  Office  from  which  letters  are  de- 
livered by  Letter  Carrier,  the  postage 
rate  will  be  2  cents  per  ounce,  instead 
of  1  cent  per  half  ounce.  The  rate  of 
postage  upon  Drop  Letters,  except  in 
the  Cities  where  free  delivery  by  Let- 
ter Carrier  has  been  established,  will 
be  1  cent  per  ounce. 

The  fee  for  the  Registration  of  a 
letter  or  other  article  of  mail  matter, 
will  be  five  cents  upon  all  classes  of 
correspondence  passing  within  the  Do- 
minion. ^  For  the  present  and  until 
further  instructed,  the  registration  fee 
may  be  prepaid  by  using  the  2  cent 
Registration  Stamps  and  Postage 
Stamps  to  make  up  the  amount. 

Letters  insufficiently  prepaid  will  be 
charged  double  the  deficiency  as  here- 
tofore, provided  at  least  a  partial  pay- 
ment has  been  made.     Letters  posted 
wholly  unpaid  will  be  sent  to  the  Dead 
Letter  Office  for  return  to  the  writer. 
JOHN  G.  HAGGART, 
Postmaster-General. 
Post  Office  Department, 
OTTAWA,  8th  May,  1889. 

Reference  List. 

1870-82.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  Brit- 
ish American  Bank  Note  Co.  of 
Montreal  and  Ottawa.  Wove  paper. 
Perf.  12. 

26.  ic  black,  Scott's  No.  40. 

27.  Ic  orange,   Scott's  No.  32 

28.  2c  green.   Scott's  No.  33  or  41. 

29.  3c   red,   Scott's  No.  34  or  42 

30.  5c   grey,   Scott's    No.   38  or  43. 

31.  6c  brown,   Scott's   No.   35  or  44. 

32.  lOc  magenta  or  brown  red,  Scott's  No 

36  or  45. 


CHAPTER  XI. — The  2oc   and  5oc   Stamps   of  1893. 


The  Postmaster-General's  Report  for 
1892  states  that  "Postage  stamps  of  the 
value  of  20  cents  and  50  cents  are  about 
to  be  issued.  These  will  be  useful  in 


prepayment  of  parcel  post."  These  high 
values  were,  of  course,  intended  to  be 
used  in  making  up  relatively  large 
amounts  of  postage.  They  were  not 


40 


issued  to  be  used  in  prepayment  of  any 
specific  rates  though  a  study  of  the 
postal  rates  of  the  period  show  that  the 
postage  on  a  parcel  weighing  up  to  one 
pound  sent  to  the  United  Kingdom 
would  require  a  20c  stamp,  while  a  2  Ib. 
parcel  sent  to  Japan  would  take  the 
50c  denomination.  The  same  rates 
show  that  the  postage  on  1  Ib.  parcels 
sent  to  Newfoundland  was  15c,  though 
no  stamp  of  this  value  had  been  issued 
subsequent  to  the  series  of  1868  nor  has 
one  ever  since  been  included  in  the 
regular  series. 

These  new  20c  and  50c  labels  were 
issued  on  February  17th,  1893,  and  while 
alike  in  design,  except  as  regards  the 
denotation  of  value,  they  are  quite  dis- 
similar from  any  of  the  previously  is- 
sued postage  stamps  of  the  Dominion 


both  as  regards  size  and  design.  The 
portrait  shows  Queen  Victoria  in  her 
widow's  weeds  and  is  similar  to  that 
shown  on  the  Bill  stamps  which  were 
first  issued  in  1868.  Above  the  por- 
trait CANADA  POSTAGE  is  curved, 
and  on  straight  labels  at  the  foot  is  the 
value  in  words,  while  between  this  in- 
scription and  the  lower  part  of  the 
medallion  are  figures  of  value. 

The  stamps  were,  as  usual,  produced 
by  the  line-engraved  process,  and  they 
were  printed  in  sheets  of  100  at  the 
Ottawa  establishment  of  the  British 
American  Bank  Note  Company.  The 
manufacturer's  imprint  was  shown 
twice  on  each  sheet — in  the  centre  of  the 


upper  and  lower  margins.  This  imprint 
consisted  of  the  words  "British  Ameri- 
can Bank  Note  Co.  Ottawa,"  on  a  strip 
of  solid  color  measuring  38  mm.  in 
length  and  2l/2  mm.  in  height.  This 
colored  strip  has  square  ends  and  is  en- 
closed within  a  pearled  border. 

Both  values  were  printed  on  the  wove 
paper  used  for  the  other  denominations 
then  current  and  the  perforation  was 
the  usual  12  made  by  single-line  ma- 
chines. 

Evidently  these  values  were  but  spar- 
ingly used,  for  Mr.  Howes  tells  us : — 

Both  were  ordered  to  the  number 
of  half  a  million  copies  in  1893,  and 
in  1895  25,000  more  of  the  20  cent  and 
30,000  more  of  the  50  cent  were  de- 
livered, with  a  final  200  copies  in  1896. 
These  quantities  were  sufficient  to 
last  until  the  20  cent  was  superseded 
by  the  newer  type  in  1901,  and  the 
50  cent  by  the  King's  head  stamp  in 
1908.  Some  1500  of  the  20  cent  were 
returned  for  destruction  and  about  10,- 
000  of  the  50  cent. 

It  seems  hardly  possible  that  but  200 
copies  of  each  were  supplied  in  1896 — 
i.  e.  two  sheets  of  each  value — if  they 
were  the  normal  perforated  stamps. 
Possibly  this  small  supply  consisted  of 
the  imperf  orates — both  values  being 
known  in  this  condition — and  if  so  they 
may  have  been  printed  to  fill  a  special 
requisition.  The  imperforate  20c  is  on 
the  normal  shade  but  the  50c  is,  as  Mr. 
Howes  observes,  in  a  "peculiar  black 
blue"  shade.  There  are  no  marked  va- 
rieties in  shade  as  can  easily  be  under- 
stood from  the  few  printings  which 
took  place. 

Reference  List. 

1893.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  British 
American  Bank  Note  Co.  of  Otta- 
wa. Wove  paper.  Perf.  12. 

33.  20c  vermilion,   Scott's   No.   46. 

34.  50c  deep  blue,   Scott's  No.  47. 


CHAPTER  XII.—  The  8c  Stamp  of  1893. 


Until  1889  the  registration  fee  had  to 
be  prepaid  by  means  of  the  special 
stamps  issued  for  the  purpose.  When, 
in  1889,  a  uniform  registration  fee  of  5c 
was  adopted  the  public  were  given  per- 
mission to  use  the  ordinary  postage 
stamps  in  making  up  the  difference  be- 
tween the  old  rate  of  2c  and  the  new 


one.  This  was  done  largely  to  enable 
the  old  2c  labels  to  be  used  up.  In  1893 
it  was  decided  to  discontinue  the  use 
of  special  registration  stamps  altogether 
and  to  permit  the  payment  of  the  regis- 
try fee  by  means  of  the  regular  postage 
stamps.  As  the  rate  of  domestic  postage 
was  3c  at  that  time  and  the  registration 


41 


fee  was  5c,  a  new  stamp,  by  means  of 
which  both  postage  and  registration 
could  be  paid  together,  it  was  decided, 
would  be  useful.  Consequently  an  8c 


denomination  was  issued,  this  being  re- 
corded in  the  Philatelic  Record  for 
October,  1893,  though,  judging  from  the 
following  extract  from  the  WEEKLY  for 
August  10th,  1893,  it  would  appear  that 
the  new  value  was  in  general  circulation 
at  least  as  early  as  August  1st: — 

The  following  orders  were  posted 
up  in  all  Canadian  postoffices  on  Au- 
gust 1st: 

A  new  postage  stamp  of  the  value 
of  8c  is  now  being  put  into  circulation. 
This  stamp  will  be  available  for  the 
prepayment  either  of  registration  fee 
and  postage  combined,  or  of  postage 
only.  The  5c  registration  stamp, 
when  the  present  supply  is  exhausted, 
will  be  v/ithdrawn. 

The  new  denomination,  as  stated  in 
the  Philatelic  Record,  "resembles  in  de- 
sign the  3  cents  of  the  current  series; 
but  the  head  of  the  Queen  has  been 
turned  the  other  way,  and  is  now  to  the 
left". 

This  stamp  was  of  similar  size  to  the 
other  values  of  the  set  then  current  (ex- 
cepting the  20c  and  50c,  of  course)  and 
it  was  printed  from  steel  plates  in 
sheets  of  200  arranged  in  ten  horizontal 
rows  of  twenty  stamps  each.  According 
to  Mr.  Howes,  there  were  no  marginal 
imprints  of  any  kind.  This  denomina- 
tion was  printed  on  wove  paper  and 
perforated  12  like  the  others.  The  va- 
riety with  gauge  of  Ilixl2  is  reported 
in  connection  with  this  value  but,  like 
the  similar  varieties  of  the  earlier  is- 
sues which  we  have  already  mentioned, 
the  statement  requires  verification  be- 
fore it  can  be  definitely  accepted. 

The  8c  is  known  entirely  imperforate 
in  the  blue-grey  shade,  which  was  one 
o^  the  earliest  if  not  the  first  shade  for 
this  stamp.  The  Philatelic  Record  calls 
it  "slate-grey"  but  evidently  the  tint 
now  generally  classified  as  "blue-grey" 
was  meant. 

This  stamp  provides  a  large  number 
of  very  distinct  shade  varieties.  Just 
13  months  after  it  was  first  chronicled 
the  Philatelic  Record  says: — "Whether 


by  accident  or  intention  does  not  appear 
to  be  quite  clear,  but  copies  of  the  pres- 
ent 8  cents  are  found  in  much  darker 
color  than  we  have  hitherto  seen. 
Messrs.  A.  Smith  &  Son  have  shown  us 
copies  that  are  slate-black  of  the  darkest 
kind." 

A  writer  in  the  Canada  Stamp  Sheet 
for  October,  .1900,  says  : — 

There  are  three  varieties  of  this 
stamp,  the  slate,  the  lilac-grey  and  the 
purple.  The  first  and  second  tints 
are  comparatively  common,  but  the 
purple  is  not  found  in  every  dealer's 
stock  nor  has  it  a  place  in  many  stamp 
collections.  In  fact,  it  is  a  variety 
but  little  known  to  the  average  col- 
lector, from  the  fact  that  it  is  seldom 
offered,  either  on  approval  sheets  or 
on  the  counter  of  the  dealer.  There 
ought  to  be  no  difficulty  in  distin- 
guishing this  stamp  from  its  mates  of 
the  same  denomination,  for  while  the 
backs  of  the  rest  present  a  white  sur- 
face, in  this  case  the  back  or  paper 
is  of  a  decidedly  purplish  hue.  In 
my  opinion  this  stamp  is  a  good  one 
to  pick  up  now,  as  its  present  value  is 
far  below  its  intrinsic  worth. 

Later  still,  a  German  paper  referred 
to  three  main  printings  for  this  stamp 
a  translation  of  the  article  appearing 
in  Gibbons  Stamp  Weekly  for  June  13th, 
1908,  as  follows:— 

The  last  stamp  issued  showing  a 
portrait  of  the  late  Queen  Victoria  as 
a  young  girl  was  the  8  cents,  Canada, 
issued  in  July,  1893.  The  stamp  was 
intended  for  a  combined  postage  and 
registration  stamp ;  3c  for  postage  (in- 
land) 5c  registration  fee. 

There  were  three  distinct  printings 
of  this  stamp ;  they  may  be  easily  dis- 
tinguished from  each  other  by  differ- 
ences of  shade. 

July,  1893,  blue-grey. 

October,  1895,  slate-grey. 

?          1897,   purple-black. 

The  total  number  issued  of  these 
stamps  was  5,885,000,  but  unfortunate- 
ly there  are  no  records  of  the  quan- 
tities of  each  of  the  three  printings. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  fio  8 
cents  in  the  King  Edward  VII  issue, 
for  the  simple  reason  that  the  inland 
rate  had  been  reduced  to  2  cents ; 
therefore  the  present  combined  post- 
age and  registration  stamp  is  a  7  cents. 

The  above  extract,  it  will  be  noted,  is 
very  explicit  as  regards  the  actual  num- 
ber issued  as  well  as  the  dates  of  issue 
of  the  three  most  distinctive  shades.  On 
what  authority  these  statements  are 
based  we  cannot  say,  .but  Mr.  Howes 


42 


shows  from  official  records  that  many 
more  than  the  quantity  stated  were 
printed,  viz. : — 

The  first  delivery  of  these  stamps, 
and  of  course  the  first  printing,  was 
of  100,000,  as  recorded  in  the  stamp 
accounts  for  1893.  As  these  accounts 
were  made  up  to  30th  June,  and  there 
is  no  record  of  any  "issue  to  post- 
masters," the  stamps  were  doubtless 
delivered  just  before  the  accounts 
were  closed,  so  that  opportunity  had 


not  been  given  to  distribute  the  new 
value.  For  the  next  few  fiscal  years 
the  amount  received  from  the  manu- 
facturers averaged  over  a  million  and 
a  half  annually,  so  that  by  the  timt 
it  was  superseded  it  had  been  printed 
to  the  number  of  at  least  ll/2  millions. 

Reference  List. 

1893.     Engraved    and    Printed    by    the    British 
American    Bank    Note    Co.    Ottawa. 
Wove    Paper.      Perf.    12. 
35.       8c  grey,  Scott's  No.  48,  48a,  49  or  49a. 


CHAPTER  XIII. —  The  Diamond  Jubilee  Issue. 


The  year  1897-  was  an  eventful  one  in 
the  history  of  the  British  Empire,  for  on 
June  20th  the  greatly  revered  Queen 
Victoria  celebrated  the  sixtieth  an- 
niversary of  her  accession  to  the  throne. 
Naturally  such  an  epochal  event  was 
marked  in  one  way  or  another  in  even 
the  most  remote  corners  of  the  Em- 
pire. In  some  cases  there  were  public 
celebrations  and  rejoicings  with,  perhaps 
the  erection  of  memorials,  while  some 
of  the  colonies  marked  the  event  by  the 
issue  of  special  series  of  postage  stamps. 
The  Dominion  of  Canada  commemo- 
rated the  "Diamond  Jubilee"  by  the  is- 
sue of  a  highly  ornate  set  of  stamps 
comprising  no  less  than  sixteen  different 
denominations,  and  the  inclusion  of 
what  were  widely  termed  "unnecessary" 
high  values  and  the  unbusinesslike  and 
somewhat  discreditable  manner  in  which 
they  were  placed  on  sale  by  the  Post 
Office  Department  cast  a  slur  on  Cana- 
da's postal  history  which  took  many 
years  to  live  down. 

Early  in  1897  the  idea  of  issuing  a 
special  series  of  stamps  was  mooted  as 
witness  the  following  extract  from  the 
Weekly  Philatelic  Era  for  January  30th: 
Many  suggestions  are  being  made 
and  many  plans  laid  for  the  fitting 
celebration  of  the  sixtieth  year  of  Her 
Majesty's  reign.  In  Canada  .... 
a  proposal  has  been  made  and  an 
agitation  started  for  the  issue  of  a 
commemorative  set  of  postage 
stamps  by  the  Dominion  government. 
.  .  It  has  been  suggested  that 
the  new  stamps  be  made  a  trifle  larger 
than  the  present  ones,  that  a  some- 
what recent  picture  of  Her  Majesty 
replace  the  present  One,  and  that  the 
figures  and  colors  be  made  more  pro- 
nounced. .  .  .  The  agitation  for  a 
new  issue  is  quite  pronounced  and  is 
by  no  means  confined  to  philatelists. 
There  appears  to  be  a  general  desire 
on  the  part  of  the  people  to  have  a 
change. 


At   first   the   intention   seems   to   have 
been  to  issue  only  a  3  cent  stamp  but, 
alas,   this   original   intention  was   stifled 
like    many    other    good    ideas    and    the 
Departmental   officials,   giving   their   en- 
thusiasm free  rein,  finally  decided  on  a 
set  to  consist  of  sixteen  denominations 
ranging    all    the    way    from    l/2C   to   five 
dollars.       The     announcement     of     the 
forthcoming  issue  of  the  stamps  aroused 
so  much  general  interest  that  the  series 
formed    the    subject    of    a    question    in 
Parliament  and  according  to  the  Cana- 
dian Hansard — the  official  and  verbatim 
record    of    Parliamentary   proceedings — 
the    Postmaster-General    (Mr.   Muloch) 
replied  to  his  interrogator  as  follows : — 
It  is  the  intention  of  the   Govern- 
ment to  issue  a  set  of  Jubilee  postage 
stamps.     Such  stamps  will  be  put  into 
public  use  by  being  delivered  to  post- 
masters  throughout   Canada   for    sale 
to  the  public  in  the  same  manner  as 
ordinary     postage     stamps     are     sold. 
There  will  be  a  limit  to  the  quantity 
to  be   issued.     The  denominations   of 
Jubilee  stamps,  and  the  total  number 
of  such  Jubilee   stamps  to  be  issued, 
are      set      forth      in      the      following 
schedule : 
Number  to  be  issued.      Denomination. 

150,000  ic  stamps. 

8,000.000  Ic 

2,500,000  2c 

20,000,000  3c 

750,000  5c 

75,000  6c         " 

200,000  8c 

150,000  lOc 

100,000  15c 

100,000  20c 

100,000  50c 

25,000  $1 

25,000  $2 

25,000  $3 

25.000  $4 

25,000  $5 

7,000,000  Ic  postcards. 

Total  value  of  one   stamp   of  each 
kind  $16.2:1  ^. 


43 


As  soon  as  the  total  number  of 
stamps  mentioned  in  said  schedule  is 
issued  the  plates  from  which  they  will 
have  been  engraved  will  be  destroyed 
in  the  presence  of  the  head  and  two 
officers  of  the  department.  On  the 
10th  of  June  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment will  proceed  to  supply  Jubilee 
postage  stamps  to  the  principal  post- 
offices  in  Canada,  and  through  them 
minor  post  offices  will  obtain  their 
supply  until  the  issue  is  exhausted.  If 
this  Jubilee  issue  were  to  wholly  dis- 
place the  ordinary  postage  stamps  it 
would  supply  the  ordinary  wants  of 
the  country  for  between  two  and  three 
months,  but  as  the  use  of  the  ordinary 
postage  stamps  will  proceed  concur- 
rently with  that  of  the  Jubilee  stamps, 
it  is  expected  that  the  Jubilee  stamps 
will  last  beyond  the  three  months. 
Inasmuch  as  the  department  is  already 
receiving  applications  for  the  purchase 
of  Jubilee  stamps,  it  may  be  stated 
that  the  department  will  adhere  to  the 
established  practice  of  supplying  them 
only  to  postmasters,  and  through  them 
to  the  public,  who  may  purchase  them 
on  and  after  the  19th  June,  1897. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  Post-Office 
Department  made  no  pretense  about 
the  matter  but  stated  quite  candidly  that 
the  issue  would  be  limited  and  before 
very  long,  by  means  of  different  official 
notices  and  communications  it  was  made 
quite  plain  that  the  issue  was  intended 
to  sell  and  that  restrictions  would  be 
placed  on  the  scale  of  the  more  desirable 
values,  which  were  issued  in  but  small 
quantities..  With  the  first  ^upply  of 
these  stamps  sent  to  postmasters  the  fol- 
lowing circular  was  sent : — 

N.  B. — Requisitions  for  full  sets  of 
the  Jubilee  stamps  will  be  fiilled  un- 
til the  issue  is  exhausted. — E.  P.  S. 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
POSTAGE  STAMP  BRANCH, 

OTTAWA,  June,  1897. 

Sir: — I  am  directed  by  the  Post- 
master-General to  send  you  herewith 
a  supply  of  the  Jubilee  stamps  and  Ic 
post  card,  equal  to  one  month's  or- 
dinary requirements  of  your  office. 
Should  this  quantity  prove  insufficient 
it  will,  on  your  requisition  addressed 
to  this  branch,  be  supplemented ;  but 
as  the  Jubilee  issue  is  limited,  it 
would  be  necessary  for  you  to  apply 
early  in  order  to  secure  further  sup- 
plies of  the  same. 

I  am  also  to  instruct  you  not  to 
sell  any  of  the  accompanying  stamps 
or  postcards  before  the  opening  of 
your  office  at  the  regular  office  hours 


on  the  19th  June  instant — the  eve  of 
the  anniversary  they  are  intended  to 
commemorate. 

These  stamps  and  cards  are,  of 
course,  like  the  ordinary  issues,  to  be 
sold  at  face  value. 

I  am,  Sir,  Your  Obedient  Servant 
E.  P.  STANTON,  Superintendent. 

P.  S. — As  there  appears  to  be  a 
somewhat  general  desire  on  the  part 
of  many  persons  to  purchase,  for 
souvenir  purposes,  complete  sets  of 
the  Jubilee  stamps,  it  is  hoped  that 
you  will  so  manage  the  sale  of  such 
stamps  that  persons  applying  to  pur- 
chase full  sets  may  be  able  to  get 
them.— E.  P.  S. 

The  stamps  were  placed  on  sale 
throughout  the  Dominion  on  the  morn- 
ing of  Saturday,  the  19th  of  June  the 
eve  of  Jubilee  day  proper.  Naturally 
there  was  a  big  rush  on  the  part  of  the 
public  to  obtain  specimens  of  the  much 
heralded  stamps  and  in  the  larger  cen- 
tres the  post  offices  were  literally  be- 
sieged. Speculators  tried  to  corner  the 
l/2c  and  6c  denominations,  which  ad- 
vance particulars  had  shown  to  be  the 
most  desirable  of  the  lower  values,  but 
the  stamps  were  doled  out  carefully  and 
large  orders  were  promptly  and  firmly 
refused.  But  though  care  was  exercised 
the  department  was  convinced,  from  the 
result  of  the  first  day's  sale,  that  steps 
would  have  to  be  taken  to  further  re- 
strict the  sale  of  the  desirable  denomina- 
tions. The  demand  for  the  stamps  at 
the  chief  office  was  so  great  that  a  cir- 
cular letter  was  prepared  to  be  des- 
patched to  applicants,  this  reading  as 
follows  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
POSTAGE  STAMP  BRANCH, 

OTTAWA,  26th  June,  1897. 
Sir, — With  reference  to  the  numer- 
ous demands  upon  this  office  for  the 
l/2c  and  6c  Jubilee  stamps,  I  am  di- 
rected to  explain  that  the  respective 
quantities  of  Jubilee  stamps  ordered 
bear,  relatively,  the  same  proportions 
to  the  actual  requirements  of  the 
Postal  Service,  but  the  tendency  to  ex- 
haust the  HALVES  and  SIXES  has 
increased  to  such  a  degree,  that  it  has 
become  necessary  to  restrict  their  sale 
to  the  purchasers  of  full  sets.  Hence 
I  am  to  express  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral's regret  that  he  is  unable,  having 
regard  to  the  limited  character  of  the 
Jubilee  i?sue,  to  comply  with  any  re- 
quests for  the  l/2t  or  6c  denomina- 
tion, apart  from  those  for  full  sets. 
These  sets  mav  be  obtained  as  long  as 
the  series  of  Jubilee  stamps  last,  but 


44 


as  the  demands  upon  it  are  unusually 
heavy,  it  would  be  advisable  to  apply 
for  full  sets  at  the  earliest  possible 
moment. 

When  Postmasters  obtain  such  sets 
to  fill  orders  actual  or  prospective  at 
their  respective  offices,  they  must  not, 
in  any  case,  break  the  sets. 
I  am,  Sir,  Your  Obedient  Servant, 
E.   P.   STANTON,  Superintendent. 
P.  S. — Under  no  circumstances  will 
there  be  any  issue  of  Jubilee  stamps, 
beyond    the    limits    mentioned    in    the 
accompanying  extract   from   Hansard, 
containing    the    Postmaster-General's 
statement  on  the  subject. 

At  the  same  time  instructions  were  is- 
sued to  postmasters  that  they  were  not 
to  sell  the  J^c,  6c,  8c  and  dollar  denomi- 
nations except  in  the  complete  sets  of 
sixteen  values. 

Later  this  ruling  was  modified  and 
sets  to  50c  and  $1  inclusive  were  allowed 
to  be  soli  resulting  in  the  issue  of  an- 
other circular  to  postmasters  worded  as 
follows : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
POSTAGE  STAMP  BRANCH, 

OTTAWA,  August,  1897. 
Sir> — I  am  directed  to  transmit  to 
you  the  accompanying  partial  sets  of 
Jubilee  stamps.  These  sets  consist  of 
two  kinds  :  one  from  a  *^c  to  $1  (value 
$2.20^2),  the  other  from  */2c  to  50c 
(value  $1.20^).  You  are  instructed  to 
sell  these  stamps  as  sets,  and  as  sets 
only,  representations  having  been 
made  to  the  department  that  in  various 
parts  of  the  Dominion  there  is  a  desire 
to  obtain  such  sets  for  souvenir  pur- 
poses. You  must  not,  under  any  cir- 
cumstances, break  a  set;  for,  besides 
the  disappointment  that  such  a  course 
would  cause,  you  would  render  your- 
self liable  to  loss,  the  department  hav- 
ing decided  not  to  allow  credit  for  any 
broken  sets  returned  to  it  by  a  post- 
master who,  notwithstanding  the  in- 
structions herein  given,  sells  any 
denominations  of  the  stamps  making 
up  a  set  apart  from  the  rest. 

I  am  also  to  ask  you  to  use  your  best 
judgment  in  the  sale  of  these  sets, 
checking,  as  far  as  possible,  any  at- 
tempt on  the  part  of  speculators  to 
monopolise  them,  and  thus  securing  as 
general  distribution  of  such  sets  in 
your  vicinity  as  the  circumstances  may 
permit.  To  enable  you  to  make 
change  in  connection  with  the  sale  of 
the  enclosed  sets  I  include  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  ordinary  ^c  postage 
stamps. 

I  may  add  that  the  accompanying 
supply  has  been  based  strictly  upon  the 


annual    revenue    of   your   office,    and, 
having  regard  to  the  total  number  of 
sets  available  and  the  extent  of  their 
distribution,    represents    that    propor- 
tion to  which  you  are  entitled. 
I  am,  Sir,  Your  Obedient  Servant, 
E.  P.  STANTON,  Superintendent. 

So  anxious  did  the  department  show 
itself  in  its  efforts  to  circumnavigate  the 
speculator,  and  so  obvious  was  the  fact 
that  the  Jubilee  stamps  were  issued,  like 
our  own  Columbian  stamps,  for  the  pe- 
cuniary profit  the  Government  would 
derive  from  their  sale,  that  it  is  small 
wonder  that  the  series  was  condemned 
and  discredited  by  the  philatelic  press 
almost  universally.  The  following  ex- 
tract from  the  Monthly  Journal  for 
June,  1897,  is  typical  of  many: — 

We  are  indebted  to  various  corre- 
spondents for  papers  and  cuttings  with 
reference  to  the  Jubilee  issue  of  this 
Colony  which  will  have  taken  place  by 
the  time  this  is  in  print.  While  ac- 
knowledging that  the  design  of  the 
stamps  appears  to  be  a  very  handsome 
and  appropriate  one,  we  feel  bound  to 
add  that  the  affair  possesses  no  other 
redeeming  feature  whatever.  The 
Canadian  Government  has  made  a  new 
contract  for  the  supply  of  stamps,  etc., 
with  an  American  firm,  which  will  ap- 
parently involve  a  new  issue  of  stamps 
within  a  short  time.  If  the  occasion 
had  been  taken  for  the  issue  of  a  per- 
manent series  appropriate  to  the  Jubi- 
lee year,  nothing  could  have  been  more 
agreeable  to  philatelists  throughout 
the  British  Empire;  but  to  bring  out 
a  set  of  labels,  including  unnecessarily 
high  values  and  printed  in  limited 
numbers,  to  be  issued  concurrently 
with  the  present  stamps,  is  to  repro- 
duce all  the  most  objectionable 
features  of  the  unnecessary  and  specu- 
lative emissions,  which  we  all  desire 
to  put  an  end  to.  We  cannot  expect 
that  on  such  an  occasion  as  this  loyal 
British  subjects  will  be  able  to  ab- 
stain altogether  from  purchasing 
Jubilee  mementoes  of  this  description, 
but  we  would  most  strongly  recom- 
mend them  to  be  satisfied  with  copies 
of  one  or  two  of  the  lower  values. 
Outside  the  British  Empire  we  trust 
that  this  discreditable  issue  will  fall  as 
flat  as  it  deserves. 

To  add  to  the  unsavory  tale  we  have 
only  to  say  that  there  was  much  scandal 
on  account  of  the  openly  expressed  state- 
ments that  the  desirable  values  were,  in 
many  instances,  cornered  by  postal  em- 
ployes who  had,  of  course,  "first  option" 
on  the  supplies  reaching  their  respective 


45 


offices.     Thus,  in  the  Philatelic  Messen- 
ger of  New  Brunswick,  we  read : 

But  now  that  the  stamps  have  been 
issued  in  certain  given  numbers  and 
in  the  Postmaster-General's  peculiar 
way,  where  are  they?  That  is  what  a 
great  many  want  to  know  and  that  is 
a  question  which  must  be  answered. 
1  know  where  some  of  them  are.  I 
had  a  letter  from  a  postmaster's  son 
at  a  small  office  in  Quebec,  asking  me 
what  I  would  give  for  45  8c  Jubilee 
stamps.  I  had  a  letter  from  an  office 
in  P.  E.  Island,  asking  my  prices  for 
l/2,  6,  and  8c  Jubilee  stamps.  Collec- 
tors in  the  principal  cities  of  the  Do- 
minion have  seen  whole  sheets  of  ^>c 
stamps  in  the  possession  of  post-office 
employees.  These  little  incidents  may 
give  one  some  idea  where  the  stamps 
are.  I  also  have  a  pretty  good  idea 
where  the  stamps  are  not.  A  promi- 
nent Toronto  dealer  laid  $100  on  the 
.stamp  counter  the  first  day  of  sale, 
and  was  tendered  two  specimens  of 
the  J/2C  and  6c  stamps.  At  Montreal, 
Toronto,  St.  Johns,  Halifax,  and  all 
the  principal  cities,  not  more  than  two 
specimens  of  the  y2)  6,  8,  10,  15,  20  and 
50c  stamps  were  sold  to  the  same 
person,  that  is,  of  .course,  outside  the 
post-office  staff.  I  have  it  on  good 
authority  that  there  is  not  a  stamp 
dealer  in  Canada  who  has  100  of  the 
Y2c  value  unless  he  happens  to  be  a 
post-office  employe  also.  The  stamps 
are  not  in  the  dealers'  stock  books 
then,  for  they  have  not  been  able  to 
get  them.  I  wrote  to  Fredericton  the 
other  day  for  a  few  10,  15,  20  and  50c 
stamps  and  the  postmaster  returned 
the  monev  and  said  they  could  be  sup- 
plied only  in  complete  sets.  One  meets 
with  the  same  reception  at  nearly  every 
post  office.  What  were  the  stamps 
made  for  if  not  to  be  sold  to  the  pub- 
lic as  the  public  wants  them?  What 
would  be  thought  of  a  furniture  store 
where  one  could  not  purchase  a  table 
or  a  chair  but  must  take  a  whole  set? 
The  thing  is  ridiculous. 

While  the  idea  of  issuing  special 
stamps  to  commemorate  the  Diamond 
Jubilee  was  laudable  enough,  the  re- 
strictions applied  to  their  sale  and  the 
inclusion  of  unnecessary  high  values  was, 
to  put  it  mildly,  an  official  faux  pas.  It 
has  been  asserted  that  the  values  from 
$2  to  $5  inclusive  were  quite  unnecessary 
as  it  was  not  possible  to  use  either  of 
these  denominations  in  prepayment  of 
any  legitimate  postal  charges.  But  it 
was  also  pointed  out  that  as  there  was 
no  limit  to  the  weight  of  a  package  sent 
by  first  class  mail  a  heavy  letter  could 


easily  call  for  more  postage  than  $5. 
Indeed,  in  his  article  in  the  Monthly 
Journal,  Mr.  Donald  A.  King  stated:— 
At  a  post  office  with  which  I  am 
somewhat  familiar  the  posting  of  let- 
ters and  parcels  for  the  United  King- 
dom and  other  Postal  Union  countries 
that  called  for  postage  from  $1.00  up- 
wards was,  at  certain  periods,  a  mat- 
ter of  daily,  often  hourly,  occurrence, 
so  much  so  that  the  only  comment  it 
excited  was  from  the  clerk  cancelling, 
who  would  audibly  wish  that  there 
were  higher  values  in  the  permanent 
issue  than  50c  and  thus  save  time  can- 
celling the  entire  length  of  a  large  en- 
velope. 

Within  my  own  experience  there  has 
been  more  than  one  case  where  a  let- 
ter has  been  mailed  on  which  there 
was  not  space  to  place  the  stamps ;  an 
entire  sheet  (100)  of  15  cents  stamps 
was  pasted  on,  obliterated,  and  then 
another  with  some  odd  values  com- 
pleted the  prepayment ;  and  the  case 
can  be  recalled  of  a  letter  on  which 
$40.00  postage  was  prepaid.  While 
the  Jubilee  set  was  in  everyday  use  the 
sight  of  the  higher  values  was  quite 
common  on  any  mail  for  the  United 
Kingdom  and  Europe,  shipping  and 
commercial  houses  prepaying  their 
mail  with  the  "dollar"  values  simply 
as  a  matter  of  convenience. 

But  though  there  may  have  been  iso- 
lated instances  in  which  high  values 
could  be  used  with  convenience  their 
very  limited  use  is  obvious  from  the  fact 
that  the  Canadian  government  has  al- 
ways, both  before  and  since  the  emis- 
sion of  the  Jubilee  set,  found  a  50c 
value  high  enough  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. Had  postal  requirements  called 
for  such  constant  use  of  high  values  as 
Mr.  King's  remarks  lead  us  to  infer  it  is 
hardly  likely  that,  when  the  remainders 
were  finally  withdrawn  and  destroyed  in 
1905,  out  of  a  comparatively  small  total 
issue  of  25,000  of  each  of  the  dollar 
stamps  94  of  the  $1,  66  of  the  $2,  1,835 
of  the  $3,  2,013  of  the  $4,  and  1,240  of 
the  $5  would  be  returned  and  destroyed. 


The   design  is   the   same    for   all   de- 
nominations   and,    as    we   have   already 


46 


stated,  is  a  very  handsome  one.  The 
stamps  are  of  extra  large  size  and  show 
two  portraits  of  Queen  Victoria.  -That 
on  the  left,  with  the  date  "1837"  below 
it,  is  identical  with  the  portrait  shown 
on  the  old  12d  and  7J^d  stamps,  while 
the  one  on  the  right,  with  date  "1897" 
below,  is  from  a  full  length  portrait 
painted  in  1886  by  Professor  von  Angelo 
of  Vienna.  This  shows  the  Queen  in 
her  robes  of  state  as  she  appeared  on 
the  assumption  of  the  title  "Empress  of 
India."  Above  the  portraits  is  CANA- 
DA POSTAGE  and  between  these 
words  is  the  so-called  Tudor  Crown  of 
Great  Britain  with  the  letters  "V.  R.  I." 
below — these  latter,  of  course,  standing 
for  Victoria  Regina  Imperatrix,  (Vic- 
toria, Queen  and  Empress).  At  the 
base  the  value  is  shown  on  a  straight 
tablet  and  in  the  angles,  and  between 
the  two  dates,  are  maple  leaf  ornaments. 
These  Jubilee  stamps  were  printed  by 
the  American  Bank  Note  Company,  who 
had  recently  secured  the  contract  for 
the  printing  of  stamps,  bank  notes,  etc., 
for  the  Dominion.  In  the  Montreal 
Herald  for  January,  1897,  the  following 
particulars  are  given  with  regard  to  the 
change  of  printers  : — 

The  contract  for  the  Government 
engraving,  for  which  tenders  were 
called  two  months  ago,  has  been 
awarded  to  the  American  Bank  Note 
Company,  of  New  York,  for  a  period 
of  five  and  a  quarter  years.  The  con- 
tract is  worth  $600,000,  and  may  be  re- 
newed for  a  similar  period.  The  work 
consists  of  engraving  the  Dominion 
bank  notes,  revenue  and  postage 
stamps,  postal  cards,  etc.  At  present 
the  British  American  Bank  Note  Com- 
pany, better  known  as  Burland  and 
Company,  formerly  of  Montreal,  have 
the  contract.  They  tendered  this  time, 
but  the  New  York  company  was  the 
lowest.  The  New  York  company  is 
one  of  the  largest  and  best  known  in 
the  world.  The  firm  engraves  notes 
for  some  of  the  banks  in  Canada,  in- 
cluding the  Canadian  Bank  of  Com- 
merce. Under  the  terms  of  the  new 
contract,  the  Company  will  require  to 
establish  a  place  in  Ottawa  to  do  the 
work,  where  the  Government  can  have 
supervision  of  it.  As  compared  with 
the  prices  paid  under  the  Burland  con- 
tract, the  Government  will  effect  a 
saving  of  $120,000  by  the  new  contract. 

The  stamps  were,  like  all  Canadian 
stamps,  produced  by  the  line-engraved 
process,  the  values  from  ^c  to  5c  incluT 
sive  being  printed  in  sheets  of  100  in  ten 
horizontal  rows  of  ten,  and  the  other 
denominations  in  sheets  of  50  in  ten 


horizontal  rows  of  five  stamps  each. 
The  only  marginal  inscription  consists 
of  the  name  OTTAWA  followed  by  the 
number  of  the  plate.  This  inscription 
appears  at  the  top  of  the  sheets  only — 
above  the  centre  of  the  fifth  and  sixth 
stamps  in  the  case  of  the  l/2,  1,  2,  3  and 
5c  values  and  above  the  third  stamp  on 
the  values  from  6c  to  $5.  The  name  is 
in  thin  Roman  capitals,  2l/2  mm.  high, 
the  total  length  of  the  inscriptions  being 
about  40  mm.  The  following  are  the 
numbers  of  the  plates  used : — 
l/2  cent,  plate  9. 

1  cent,  plates  5,  6,  15,  16. 

2  cents,  plate  7,  8. 

3  cents,  plates  1,  2,  3,  4,  11,  12,  13, 14,  28, 

29,  30,  31. 

5  cents,  plate  10. 

6  cents,  plate  17. 
8  cents,  plate  20. 

10  cents,  plate  19. 
15  cents,  plate  18. 
20  cents,  plate  21. 
50  cents,  plate  23. 

1,  plate  27. 
,  plate  26. 

3,  plate  24. 

54,  plate  22. 

55,  plate  25. 

The  paper  was  the  usual  wove  variety 
and  the  perforation  gauged  12 — the  pro- 
duction of  single-line  or  guillotine  ma- 
chines. Even  in  the  case  of  values  of 
which  large  quantities  were  printed, 
like  the  3c,  variations  in  shade  are  re- 
markably slight.  The  Ic  is  known  split 
diagonally  and  the  halves  used  as  ^c 
and  while  this  practice  was  disproved  of 
by  the  Post  Office  Department  the  half 
stamps  undoubtedly  filled  a  local  need  as 
shown  by  an  extract  from  a  Canadian 
newspaper  printed  in  the  Weekly  Phila- 
telic Era,  viz.: — 

The  Railway  News  last  week  on  ac- 
count of  not  receiving  permission 
from  the  Post-Master  General  to  allow 
papers  to  go  through  the  mails  free, 
was  compelled  to  pay  postage.  No  half 
cent  stamps  being  available,  the  post 
office  department  allowed  one  cent 
stamps  to  be  cut  in  halves  for  postage. 
This  is  the  first  time  on  record  we  be- 
lieve where  such  was  allowed  and 
the  stamps  have  been  eagerly  sought 
after,  one  dollar  being  paid  for  a 
single  stamp  with  the  post  office  stamp 
on  it.  The  News  will  pay  twenty-five 
cents  each  for  the  one  cent  Jubilee 
stamps  cut  in  halves  bearing  the  post- 
office  stamp  of  Xovember  5th,  6th,  or 
8th,  which  was  allowed  to  pass 
through  the  mails  on  that  date  owing 
to  there  being  no  regular  half  cent 
stamps  available. 


47 


One  set  of  Jubilee  stamps — said  to  be 
the  first  one  printed,  though  of  course 
this  statement  cannot  be  taken  literally 
as  meaning  the  stamps  were  printed  one 
at  a  time: — was  mounted  in  a  specially 
designed  portfolio  and  presented  to  the 
Duke  of  York,  now  His  Most  Gracious 
Majesty  King  George  V.  An  account 
of  this  presentation  set,  taken  from  an 
old  issue  of  the  WEEKLY,  is  worthy  of 
reproduction : 

A  very  unique  and  handsome  piece 
of  work  is  the  postal  portfolio  which 
is  to  be  presented  to  His  Royal  High- 
ness, the  Duke  of  York,  by  the  Do- 
minion Government,  and  which  is  on 
exhibition  in  the  window  of  Kyrie 
Brothers,  Jewelers,  Toronto.  The 
portfolio  is  in  the  form  of  an  album, 
the  cover  of  which  is  of  royal  blue 
morocco  leather,  handsomely  deco- 
rated in  gold.  In  the  centre  of  the 
front  cover  is  a  raised  shield  in  white 
on  which  are  the  words  in  gold  letters, 
"Dominion  of  Canada,  Diamond  Jubi- 
lee Postage  Stamps,  22nd  June,  1897." 
The  corners  of  the  portfolio  are  deco- 
rated with  guards  of  Canadian  gold 
made  from  British  Columbia  and 
Raney  district  ore.  The  right  hand 
upper  corner  decoration  is  a  design  of 
maple  leaves,  and  the  lower  corner 
of  English  oak  leaves  and  acorns.  The 
portfolio  is  fastened  with  a  clasp  of 
Canadian  gold  in  the  form  of  oak 
leaves,  while  the  bracket  on  the  front 
holding  the  clasps  in  position,  is  en- 
twined with  maple  leaves  with  the 
monogram  of  H.  R.  H.  the  Duke  of 
York— G.  F.  E.  A.— George  Frederick 
Ernest  Albert.  On  the  third  page  is 
the  inscription,  "This  collection  of 
postage  stamps  issued  at  Ottawa  by 
the  Dominion  of  Canada  in  commemo- 
ration of  the  Diamond  Jubilee  of  Her 
Most  Gracious  Majesty  Queen  Vic- 
toria is  presented  to  H.  R.  H.  the 
Duke  of  York,  K.  G.,  by  the  Govern- 
ment of  Canada,  1897."  The  last  page 
of  this  unique  stamp  album  will  con- 
tain the  certificate  of  the  destruction 
of  the  dies  and  plates  in  the  presence 
of  Hon.  Wm.  Mulock,  postmaster-gen- 
eral of  Canada.  .  .  .  This  is  prob- 


ably the  dearest  stamp  album  in  the 
world,  and  contains  only  a  single 
specimen  of  each  denomination  of  the 
Jubilee  issue. 

And  now  we  conclude  our  history  of 
this  Jubilee  issue  by  another  extract 
from  the  WEEKLY  giving  an  account  of 
the  destruction  of  the  dies  and  plates 
from  which  the  stamps  were  made  :  — 

On  Friday  afternoon,  September 
10th,  I  presented  myself  at  the  Post- 
Office  Department  and  joined  a  party 
who  were  just  leaving  the  building  to 
go  over  to  the  American  Bank  Note 
Co.'s  building,  a  couple  of  blocks  away. 
Arriving,  we  were  conducted  to  the 
top  floor  by  the  manager.  The  plates, 
dies,  etc.,  were  brought  out  by  those 
in  charge,  and  the  seventeen  original 
dies  after  inspection  by  those  present 
were  placed  one  by  one  under  a  press 
and  an  obliterating  roller  passed  over 
them  several  times  ;  proofs  were  then 
pulled  which  faintly  showed  the  out- 
lines of  the  ovals,  etc.,  but  the  words 
showing  the  values  could  not  even  be 
made  out.  Next,  the  rolls  for  trans- 
ferring the  impression  from  the  dies 
to  the  plates  came  in  for  their  share 
of  attention.  There  were  nineteen  of 
them,  and  a  few  burns  from  an  emery 
wheel  quickly  put  each  one  "out  of 
sight."  The  plates,  31  in  number,  were 
subjected  to  the  same  treatment  as 
the  dies,  and  the  total  time  occupied 
in  the  destruction  of  the  various  parts 
occupied  almost  two  hours. 

Reference  List. 

1897.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa,  on  wove 
paper.  Perf.  12. 

Jc  black,  Scott's  No.  50. 

Ic  orange,  Scott's   No.  51. 

2c  green,  Scott's  No.  52. 

3c    rose,    Scott's    No.   53. 

5c  deep  blue,  Scott's  No.  54. 

6c  yellow  brown,  Scott's  No.  55. 

8c    dark   violet,    Scott's    No.    56. 
lOc  brown  violet,   Scott's   No.  57. 
15c  steel  blue,  Scott's  No.  58. 
20c  vermilion,   Scott's   No.   59. 
50c    ultramarine,    Scott's    No.    60. 
$1   lake,   Scott's  No.  61. 
$2  dark  purple,  Scott's  No.  62. 
$3  yellow  bistre,   Scott's  No.  63. 
$4  purple,  Scott's  No.  64. 
$5   olive   green,   Scott's   No.   65. 


36. 
37. 
38. 
39. 
40. 
41. 
42. 
43. 
44. 
45. 
46. 
47. 
48. 
49. 
50. 
51. 


CHAPTER  XIV. — The   "Maple   Leaf"   Issue    of   1897. 


Soon  after  the  printing  contract  was 
awarded  to  the  American  Bank  Note 
Company  it  was  rumoured  that  a  new 
series  of  stamps  would  be  issued,  but 
for  a  time  public  expectations  of  the 
new  stamps  were  overshadowed  by  the 
appearance  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee 


issue.  A  cutting  from  an  Ottawa  paper 
dated  September  28th,  1897,  shows,  how- 
ever, that  _  preparations  for  a  new  set 
were  well  in  hand,  viz. : — 

The  design  for  a  new  postage  stamp 
has  been  approved  by  the  Postmaster- 
General.  There  is  a  portrait  of  Her 


48 


Majesty  as  she  appeared  at  the  coro- 
nation, except  that  a  coronet  is  sub- 
stituted for  a  crown.  The  portrait 
has  been  engraved  from  a  photo  pro- 
cured during  the  Jubilee  ceremonies, 
and  upon  which  was  the  Queen's  own 
autograph,  so  that  it  is  authentic. 
The  corners  of  the  stamp  will  be 
decorated  with  maple  leaves,  which 
were  pulled  from  maple  trees  on 
Parliament  Hill  and  engraved  direct- 
ly from  them.  Everything  indeed  is 
correct  and  up  to  date,  and  the  new 
issue  will  reflect  credit  on  Mr. 
Mulock's  good  taste.  The  engravers 
will  take  care  to  make  this  permanent 
and  ordinary  -issue  a  tribute  to  their 
skill.  The  present  stock  of  stamps 
it  will  take  some  months  to  exhaust, 
and  not  till  they  are  done  will  the 
new  stamps  be  issued.  It  may  be 
about  November  of  this  year. 

About  a  month  later  a  circular  was 
addressed  to  postmasters  announcing 
the  issue  of  the  new  stamps  as  follows : 
Circular  to  Postmaster. 
NEW  ISSUE  OF  POSTAGE  STAMPS,  ETC. 
The  Postmaster-General  has  made 
arrangements  for  a  new  issue  of 
postage  stamps,  letter  cards,  stamped 
envelopes,  post  cards,  and  post  bands. 
These  will  be  supplied  to  postmasters 
in  the  usual  way.  Postmasters  are, 
however,  instructed  not  to  sell  the 
stamps  of  any  denomination  of  the 
new  issue  until  the  stamps  of  the  cor- 
responding denomination  of  the  pres- 
ent issue  are  disposed  of.  The  filling 
of  requisitions  by  the  Postage  Stamp 
Branch  will  be  regulated  by  the  same 
principle — that  is  to  say,  no  item  of 
the  proposed  issue  will  be  sent  out 
until  the  corresponding  item  of  the 
present  issue  has  been  exhausted. 

To  conform  to  the  requirements  of 
the  International  Postal  Union  the 
color  of  the  new  Ic  stamp  will  be 
green  and  that  of  the  5c  stamp  a  deep 
blue. 

R.  M.  COULTER, 
Deputy  Postmaster-General. 
Post-Office  Department,  Canada. 
OTTAWA,  25th  October,  1897. 

The  Postmaster-General's  Report  for 
1897,  issued  after  the  stamps  had  made 
their  appearance,  also  refers  to  the  new 
issue  and  to  add  completeness  to  our 
history  we  extract  the  following : — 

Owing  to  the  change  of  contract  for 
the  manufacture  and  supply  of  post- 
age stamps,  a  new  series  of  stamps 
became  necessary  at  the  beginning  of 
the  present  fiscal  year.  New  stamps 
ranging  in  value  from  the  J^c  to  the 


lOc  denomination  (inclusive)  were 
printed,  and  the  first  supplies  thereof 
sent  out  to  postmasters  as  the  cor- 
responding denominations  of  the  old 
stamps  became  exhausted.  A  con- 
siderable quantity  of  the  higher  values 
of  that  series  (15  cents,  20  cents  and 
50  cents)  remaining  over  from  the 
late  contract,  these  three  stamps  con- 
tinued to  be  issued,  so  that  the  de- 
partment, previous  to  the  introduction 
of  the  same  denominations  in  the  new 
series,  might,  in  accordance  with  the 
universal  practice,  dispose  of  the  old 
stamps  in  each  case,  before  issuing 
any  of  the  new.  The  design  of  the 
new  stamps  is  of  a  uniform  character, 
and  consists  of  an  engraved  copy  (re- 
duced) of  an  authorized  photograph 
of  Her  Majesty  taken  during  the 
Diamond  Jubilee  year.  This,  placed 
within  an  oval  bearing  the  usual  in- 
scriptions, is  enclosed  within  a  rec- 
tangular frame,  a  inapie  leaf  on  a 
lined  ground  occupying  each  of  the 
triangular  spaces  between  the  two 
frames.  To  conform  to  the  regula- 
tions of  the  Universal  Postal  Union, 
the  color  of  the  new  1  cent  stamp  is 
green,  and  that  of  the  5  cents  a  deep 
blue.  This  necessitated  corresponding 
changes  in  the  colors  of  the  other 
stamps  of  the  new  series ;  for  ex- 
ample, purple  instead  of  green  being 
selected  for  the  2  cent  denomination, 
and  orange  instead  of  slate  for  the  8 
cent. 

The  first  denomination  of  the  new 
series — the  y^  cent — was  placed  on  sale 
on  November  9th,  1897.  About  the  end 
of  the  same  month  the  6c  made  its  ap- 
pearance, and  this  was  quickly  followed 
by  the  Ic,  2c,  5c  and  8c  in  December. 
The  3c  and  lOc  were  issued  early  in 
January,  1898,  so  that  official  instruc- 
tions that  the  new  stamps  were  not  to 
be  issued  until  the  supplies  of  the  old 
issue  were  exhausted  were  fully  carried 
out,  though  all  values  were  on  sale 
within  the  space  of  about  three  months. 


The  design  of  the  new  stamps  is  at 
once  simple  and  effective.  In  the  cen- 
tral oval  is  a  three-quarter  face  portrait 
of  Her  Majesty,  with  head  to  left, 
which  was  copied  from  a  photograph 


49 


taken  by  W.  &  D.  Downey,  of  London, 
at  the  time  of  the  Diamond  Jubilee  cele- 
brations. Around  the  oval  is  a  band  of 
solid  color  containing  the  words  CANA- 
DA POSTAGE  above  and  the  value  in 
words  below,  all  being  in  Egyptian  capi- 
tals. The  spandrels  are  filled  with  a 
ground  of  horizontal  lines  on  which 
maple  leaves  rest.  While,  as  Mr.  Howes 
observes,  "much  criticism  was  engen- 
dered by  the  fact  that  the  portrait  was 
too  large  for  its  frame,  making  the  de- 
sign appear  cramped,"  public  verdict,  as 
a  whole,  expressed  unqualified  approval 
of  the  new  design. 

The  stamps,  like  those  of  the  preced- 
ing issues,  were  printed  from  line- 
engraved  plates  and,  with  one  exception, 
these  plates  contained  one  hundred  im- 
pressions arranged  in  ten  horizontal 
rows  of  ten  each.  The  exception  re- 
ferred to  occurred  in  the  I/2c,  the  first 
plate  for  which  contained  200  stamps, 
arranged  in  ten  rows  of  twenty  stamps 
each.  This  is  mentioned  in  the  Weekly 
Philatelic  Era  as  follows : — 

By  some  misunderstanding  the  con- 
tractors, the  American  Bank  Note 
Co.,  set  the  sheet  up  with  200  stamps, 
and  the  first  five  hundred  sheets  were 
so  printed.  The  sheets  were  after- 
wards cut  in  two  through  the  imprint, 
and  we  have  these  half  sheets  with  a 
close  imperforated  margin  on  either 
the  left  or  right  edge.  Afterwards 
sheets  of  100  stamps  were  issued,  all 
the  stamps  perforated  on  all  four 
sides.  Plate  number  collectors  will 
find  the  earliest  sheets  difficult  to  ob- 
tain. Both  sheets  bear  the  plate  num- 
ber 1. 


The  imprint  on  the  sheets  followed 
the  plan  originated  with  the  Jubilee 
series,  "OTTAWA— No— 1,"  etc.,  being 
placed  in  the  centre  of  the  top  margin. 
Each  value  began  with  No.  1  and  appar- 
ently for  the  5c,  6c,  8c,  and  lOc  the  one 
plate  sufficed.  For  the  J^c,  as  we  have 
already  shown,  there  were  two  plates, 
both  numbered  "1" ;  while  for  the  Ic 
there  were  two  plates,  for  the  2c,  three 
plates,  and  for  the  3c,  six  plates. 

The  stamps  were  printed  on  stout 
white  wove  paper,  similar  to  that  used 
for  the  Jubilee  stamps  and  at  some 
time  or  other  a  slightly  thinner  and 
more  brittle  paper  seems  to  have  been 
used.  The  paper  for  the  5c  is  of  a  dis- 
tinctly bluish  color — this  being  the  first 
occasion  on  which  colored  paper  was 
used  for  any  of  the  postage  stamps  of 
the  Dominion. 

The  perforation  was  the  regulation 
gauge  of  12,  which  has  been  in  continu- 
ous use  since  1858,  and,  as  the  Philatelic 
Record  stated  when  first  chronicling  the 
issue,  "many  of  the  stamp  are  badly 
centered,  a  characteristic  defect  of  the 
American  Bank  Note  Company's  work." 
The  5c  is  known  entirely  imperforate. 

Reference  List. 

1897.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa,  on  wove 
paper.  Perf.  12. 

52.  l/2c  black,  Scott's  No.   66. 

53.  Ic  green,   Scott's  No.  67. 

54.  2c  purple,  Scott's  No.  68. 

55.  3c  carmine,  Scott's  No.  69. 

56.  5c  dark  blue  on  bluish,  Scott's  No.  70. 

57.  6c  brown,  Scott's  No.  71. 

58.  8c  orange,  Scott's  No.   72. 

59.  lOc   brown-violet,    Scott's   No.   73. 


CHAPTER  XV.—  The  "Numeral"  Issue  of  1898. 


The  "maple-leaf"  issue  had  not  been 
long  in  use  before  complaints  were 
made  that  owing  to  the  lack  of  plain 
numerals  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to 
distinguish  the  various  denominations. 
In  its  issue  for  April  2nd,  1898,  the 
Metropolitan  Philatelist  stated  another 
ground  for  complaint  and  also  referred 
to  a  forthcoming  change,  viz. : — 

Much  dissatisfaction  is  expressed  by 
the  French  speaking  inhabitants  of 
the  rural  parts  at  the  lack  of  figures 
of  value  on  the  stamps,  the  denomina- 
tion in  all  cases  being  printed  in  Eng- 
lish which  they  are  unable  to  under- 
stand. It  has,  therefore,  been  decided 
to  alter  the  new  stamps  by  removing 
the  maple  leaves  from  the  lower  cor- 
ners and  inserting  large  numerals  of 
value  in  their  place.  The  space  occu- 


pied by  the  head   will  also  be   some- 
what enlarged  and  the  value  will  be 
placed  on  a  straight  band  below. 
A    few    months    later    the    re-drawn 
stamps  made  their  appearance,   for  the 
Monthly    Journal    for    July    30th,    1898, 
records  the  issue  of  the  Ic  and  3c  de- 
nominations as   follows : — 

The  design  is  certainly  improved, 
the  oval  being  enlarged  so  that  its 
outer  line  covers  the  outer  line  of  the 
rectangle  at  each  side  and  at  top  and 
bottom.  The  band  being  the  same 
width  as  before,  this  allows  a  larger 
space  for  the  head,  which  no  longer 
appears  so  closely  "cribbed,  cabined 
and  confined."  The  inscriptions  re- 
main unchanged,  but  in  each  of  the 
lower  corners  is  a  plain  rectangular 
block,  containing  a  colored  numeral. 


50 


Mr.  Howes  states  that  these  two 
values  were  issued  on  June  21st,  1898, 
and,  following  its  usual  custom,  the 
Canadian  Post-office  did  not  place  the 
other  denominations  on  sale  until  the 
corresponding  values  of  the  old  series 
were  all  used  up.  Thus,  the  l/2c,  2c  and 
6c  did  not  appear  until  early  in  Septem- 
ber, the  8c  was  placed  on  sale  in  the 
first  few  days  of  October,  the  lOc  was 
issued  in  the  early  part  of  November, 
while  the  oc,  which  was  the  laggard  of 
the  series,  was  not  on  sale  until  July 
3rd,  1899. 


Although  the  design  was  entirely  re- 
drawn and  the  wider  oval  gave  the  por- 
trait a  less  cramped  effect,  it  did  not 
satisfy  all  the  critics — though,  so  far  as 
this  fact  is  concerned,  it  is  doubtful  if 
any  stamp  issued  anywhere  at  any  time 
has  met  with  universal  approbation! 

The  stamps  were  produced  by  the  us- 
ual method  of  steel  engraved  plates  and 
they  were  printed  in  sheets  of  100,  in 
ten  rows  of  ten,  as  had  now  become  the 
regular  custom.  The  imprint  is  like 
that  on  <the  sheets  of  the  "maple  leaf" 
issue  and,  again  as  with  that  series,  the 
numbering  of  the  plates  started  with  "1" 
for  each  denomination.  So  little  inter- 
est seems  to  have  been  taken  in  these 
marginal  varieties  that  no  authoritative 
record  of  the  several  plates  employed 
has  been  kept.  Mr.  Howes  gives  but 
one  plate  for  the  l/2c,  6c,  8c  and  lOc 
values,  three  for  the  oc,  four  each  for 
the  2c  and  3c,  and  six  for  the  Ic  but  it 
seems  highly  probable  there  were  many 
more  especially  for  such  values  as  the 
Ic  and  2c  which  were  used  in  very  large 
quantities. 

In  1901  there  were  rumours  that 
some  of  the  stamps  of  this  type  had 
been  re-engraved,  the  foundation  for  the 
canard  being  the  following  paragraph 
from  the  WEEKLY  : — 

Mr.  H.  A.  Chapman  has  sent  me  a 
specimen  of  a  re-engraved  Ic  Canada 
numeral,  in  which  the  differences  from 
the  first  issue  demand  recognition. 
The  re-engraved  type  is  shorter  and 
wider  than  the  one  preceding  it.  I 
note  also  that  the  2c  is  said  to  exist 
in  the  same  condition. 
In  reprinting  this  statement  the  Phila- 
telic Record  observed  "Can  this  be  true ; 


or  is  it  only  another  case  of  a  slight 
difference  caused  by  the  shrinkage  after 
wetting  the  sheets  for  printing  pur- 
poses ?" 

The  Monthly  Journal  for  September, 
1901,  soon  set  the  matter  at  rest  as 
shown  by  the  following  extract : — 

Miss  A.  L.  Swift  very  kindly  in- 
forms us  that  a  friend  of  hers  made 
enquiries  at  headquarters  in  Ottawa, 
and  was  assured  that  no  re-engraving 
whatever  has  taken  place,  and  that  any 
differences  that  exist  must  be  due  to 
shrinkage  or  expansion  of  the  paper 
during  the  process  of  printing.  Our 
correspondent,  who  is  a  well-known 
American  writer  upon  philatelic  sub- 
jects and  a  careful  philatelist,  tells 
us  that  the  J^c,  Ic  and  2c  of  the  nu- 
meral type  and  several  values  of  the 
Maple  Leaf  type,  show  these  varia- 
tions, and  adds  that  in  the  case  of  the 
l/2C  of  both  issues  one  size  is  found 
in  grey-black  only,  and  the  other  in 
deep  black  only.  It  is  possible  that  the 
amount  or  thickness  of  the  ink  em- 
ployed may  have  some  effect  upon  the 
varying  shrinkage  of  the  paper. 

The  same  journal  refers  to  the  mat- 
ter again  in  the  following  month,  viz. : — 
In  reference  to  the  question  of  the 
variations  in  the  size  of  the  stamps  of 
the  last  two  issues  of  this  Colony,  a 
correspondent  tells  us  that  he  has 
been  studying  these  stamps,  and  has 
come  to  the  conclusion,  no  doubt  cor- 
rectly, that  the  variations  are  due  to 
differences  in  the  quality  and  thick- 
ness of  the  paper.  As  in  the  old  case 
of  the  Ceylon  stamps  the  longer 
copies  are  on  thicker  paper  than  the 
short  ones.  All  stamps  that  are 
printed  on  damp  paper,  and  especially 
those  from  plates  engraved  in  faille- 
douce,  are  liable  to  vary  in  this  way. 

The  above  seems  to  be  the  most  rea- 
sonable explanation  of  the  differences 
for  the  measurements  of  the  so-called 
long  and  short  stamps  are  practically 
constant,  which  one  would  naturally  ex- 
pect to  find  if  two  sorts  of  paper,  differ- 
ing slightly  in  thickness  and  quality, 
were  used. 

Reference  List. 

1898-9.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  Ameri- 
can Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa,  on 
white  wove  paper.  Perf.  12. 

<••»"•.       ic  black,  Scott's  No.  74. 

61.       Ic    green,    Scott's    Xo.    75. 

''••_'.       -c  purple,  Scott's  No.  7(3. 

•  '»."..        .'Ic   carmine,   Scott's   Xo.   77. 

iU.       oc  dark  blue  on  bluish,  Scott's  No.  78. 

65.  6c  brown,  Scott's  No.  70. 

66.  8c  orange.   Scott's  No.  80. 

67.  lOc  brown-violet,  Scott's  No.  81. 


51 


CHAPTER  XVI.  —  The   "Map"  Stamp   of   1898. 


Shortly  after  Great  Britain  adopted 
penny  postage  for  internal  use  in  1840 
postal  reformers  began  to  dream  of 
Ocean  Penny  Postage,  and  although 
universal  penny  postage  is  not  yet  an 
accomplished  fact  it  is  within  reasonable 
distance  of  being  so.  A  great  step  in 
this  direction  was  made  in  1898  when  at 
an  Imperial  Convention  on  Postal  Rates 
held  in  London  the  mother  country  and 
various  colonies  agreed  to  adopt  the  rate 
of  one  penny  per  half  ounce  on  letters 
sent  to  or  from  Britain  or  one  another. 
The  following  extract  from  the  Lon- 
don Standard  for  July  13th  shows  in  an 
interesting  manner  how  far  the  move- 
ment had  then  progressed: — 

We  are  authorised  by  the  Postmas- 
ter-General to  state  that,  as  the  result 
of  the  Imperial  Conference  on  Postal 
Rates,  it  has  been  agreed,  on  the  pro- 
posal   of    the    Representative    of    the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  that  letter  post- 
age    of    one    penny     per    half-ounce 
should    be    established    between    the 
United  Kingdom,  Canada,  Newfound- 
land,   the    Cape    Colony,    Natal,    and 
such  of  the  Crown  Colonies  as  may, 
after    communication    with,    and    ap- 
proval of,  Her  Majesty's  Government, 
be  willing  to  adopt  it.     The  date  on 
which    the    reduction    will    come    into 
effect    will    be    announced    later    on. 
The    question   of   a   uniform    reduced 
rate  for  the  whole  Empire  was  care- 
fully considered ;  but  it  was  not  found 
possible  to  fix  upon  a  rate  acceptable 
to  all  the  Governments  concerned.    A 
resolution     was     therefore     adopted, 
leaving  it  to  those  parts  of  the  Em- 
pire  which   were  orepared   for  penny 
postage    to    make    the    necessary    ar- 
rangements among  themselves. 
Since  then  other  portions  of  the  Brit- 
ish Empire  have  fallen  into  line  and  the 
ties     binding     the      English      speaking 
peoples  have  been  further  strengthened 
by   the    adoption   of   penny   postage   be- 
tween   the    United    States    and    Great 
Britain   as   well   as   with   many   of   her 
Colonies. 

Elihu  Burritt,  the  "learned  black- 
smith" of  New  Britain,  Connecticut, 
was  one  of  the  earliest  advocates  of 
Ocean  Penny  Postage  and  late  in  1848 
he  issued  a  pamphlet  setting  forth  his 
views  on  the  subject.  Exactly  fifty 
years  later  Imperial  Penny  Postage  was 
inaugurated  though  it  was  on  a  much 
broader  and  more  liberal  basis  than 
Burritt  had  dared  to  hope  in  his  fondest 
imaginings. 


Canada,  as  will  be  noted  from  the 
preceding  extract,  was  the  leader  in  the 
movement  for  Imperial  Penny  Postage 
and  marked  the  culmination  of  its  am- 
bitious nlans  by  issuing  a  special  two 
cents  stamp.  Mr.  Mulock,  the  then 
Postmaster-General  of  the  Dominion, 
was  responsible  for  the  idea  of  issuing 
a  special  stamp  as  well  as  the  sponsor 
for  its  design.  The  new  stamp  was  first 
mentioned  by  the  Ottawa  correspondent 
of  the  Outlook  as  follows : — 

Mr.  Mulock,  the  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral, has  chosen  the  new  inaugurating 
stamp.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  minia- 
ture map  of  the  world  distinguishing 
British  possessions  and  illustrating  the 
relative  vastness  of  the  Empire,  in 
which  Canada,  of  course,  plays  a 
prominent  part. 

In  commenting  on  this  paragraph  the 
Philatelic  Record,  for  December,  1898, 
stated  "A  poster  stamp  even  of  the 
large  plaster  type,  which  'distinguishes 
British  possessions  and  illustrates  the 
vastness  of  the  Empire',  will  indeed  be 
a  multum  in  parvo,  and  probably  the 
less  said  the  better  in  anticipation  of  the 
realisation  of  such  an  apparently  absurd 
idea  for  a  design  on  such  a  small  en- 
graving as  a  postage  stamp  needs  to  be." 

The  Ottawa  Evening  Journal  gave 
further  particulars  about  the  forthcom- 
ing stamp,  viz. : — 

The  new  Imperial  Penny  Postage 
Stamp,  to  be  used  between  Great 
Britain  and  a  number  of  her  colonies 
after  Christmas  Day  next,  has  been 
designed  by  the  Postmaster-General 
and  ready  to  be  issued.  It  is  not  to  be 
a  special  issue,  but  will  take  its  place 
among  the  regular  issues.  When  Mr. 
Mulock  was  in  Britain  he  was  sur- 
prised to  notice  that  the  great  mass  of 
the  people  did  not  appreciate  the  value 
or  the  greatness  of  the  British  pos- 
sessions abroad.  This  was  especially 
true  of  Canada.  The  idea,  therefore, 
suggested  itself  to  him  when  he  was 
considering  a  new  stamp,  to  prepare 
something  that  would  show  the  di- 
mensions of  Greater  Britain  compared 
with  all  other  countries.  Mr.  Mulock 
asked  for  some  designs  from  a  few 
artists  when  he  came  back  to  Canada, 
but  they  did  not  meet  with  his  views, 
and  he  roughly  sketched  out  something 
himself  and  passed  it  over  to  an  artist 
to  have  it  touched  up. 

The  feature  of  the  new  stamp  is  a 
neatly  executed  map  in  miniature  of 


52 


the  world,  showing  the  British  posses- 
sions as  compared  with  all  other 
countries.  The  empire  is  distin- 
guished from  the  possessions  of  the 
other  powers  by  being  in  red.  Sur- 
mounting this  map  is  a  representation 
of  the  crown,  underneath  which  is  a 
bunch  of  oak  and  maple  leaves,  sym- 
bolizing the  unity  of  the  Mother 
Country  and  Canada.  At  the  upper 
edge  of  the  stamp  are  the  words 
"Canada  Postage"  in  a  neat  letter. 
Underneath  the  map  is  placed  "Xmas, 
1898",  so  that  the  date  of  the  inaugu- 
ration of  Imperial  Penny  Postage 
shall  be  a  matter  of  record.  On  the 
lower  corners  are  the  figures  "2,"  in- 
dicating the  denomination  of  the 
stamp,  and  at  the  lower  edge  is  this 
suggestive  passage  taken  from  the 
works  of  one  of  our  patriotic  poets: 
"We  hold  a  vaster  Empire  than  has 
been."  Mr.  Mulock  will  be  able  to 
claim  the  credit  of  giving  the  public 
the  cheapest  map  of  the  world  ever 
issued.  The  size  of  the  stamp  is 
about  the  same  as  the  Jubilee  issue. 
The  printing  of  the  new  stamps  began 
on  December  1st,  both  the  Governor- 
General  and  Postmaster-General  being 
present  while  the  first  sheets  were  run 
off  the  presses.  Although  it  was  original- 
ly intended  to  issue  the  stamp  on  Christ- 
mas Dav  it  was  actually  placed  on  sale 
quite  early  in  the  month  as  explained  in 
the  following  extract  from  the  WEEKLY  : 
Ottawa,  Dec.  5th.— It  having  been 
stated  in  some  newspapers  that  the 
new  two-cent  Imperial  stamp  would 
not  become  available  until  Christmas 
Day,  inquiry  made  at  the  Post  Office 
Department  today  to  ascertain  the  truth 
of  this  statement  elicits  the  fact  that, 
although  it  was  the  original  intention 
of  the  department  that  the  new  stamp 
should  not  come  into  use  until  the 
25th  inst,  the  demand  from  the  public 
for  it  has  become  so  pressing  that  the 
department  has  decided  to  issue  it  at 
once,  and  permit  its  immediate  use  to 
the  extent  of  its  face  value  for  all 
postage  purposes.  In  other  words,  as 
soon  as  it  reaches  the  public  it  may. 
if  preferred  by  the  purchaser,  be  used 
instead  of  the  ordinary  two-cent 
stamp.  The  two-cent  inter-Imperial 
rate  does  not,  of  course,  come  into 
effect  until  Christmas  Day. 
Under  date  of  December  7th  the 
Canadian  correspondent  of  the  Weekly 
Philatelic  Era  refers  to  the  actual  issue 
of  the  stamp,  viz. : — 

The  new  Imperial  stamps  referred 
to  in  past  numbers  of  the  Era  were 
issued  this  morning,  and  although  the 


new  Imperial  rate  does  not  come  into 
effect  until  Xmas-day,  and  they  bear 
that  inscription,  they  are  receivable 
for  ordinary  postage  now. 

The  general  design  has  already  been 
described,  but  it  may  be  well  to  say 
that  the  stamps  are  printed  in  three 
colors.  The  frame  is  in  black  with 
white  letters,  the  seas  are  in  a  pale 
blue,  or  rather  a  lavender,  and  the 
British  possessions  are  in  a  bright 
red.  The  map  of  the  world  is  on 
Mercator's  projection,  which  magni- 
fies high  latitudes ;  consequently  the 
Dominion  of  Canada,  which  occupies 
the  middle  of  the  upper  part  of  the 
stamp,  looks  bigger  than  all  the  other 
British  possessions  put  together.  The 
border  of  the  stamp  is  of  cable  pat- 
tern and  measures  32  mm.  in  width 
by  22^2  in  height.  The  stamp  is 
printed  on  medium,  machine-wove, 
white  paper,  similar  to  that  used  for 
the  Jubilee  and  subsequent  Canadian 
issues,  and  is  perforated  12. 


The  design  is  well-known  to  all  our 
readers  and  as  it  has  already  been  ex- 
tensively dissected  in  the  above  quota- 
tions, further  comment  is  hardly  neces- 
sary. The  new  stamps  naturally  caused 
lots  of  criticism  on  account  of  their 
somewhat  bombastic  legend  "We  hold  a 
vaster  Empire  than  has  been".  This 
was  taken  from  the  jubilee  ode  written 
by  Sir  Lewis  Morris  on  the  occasion  of 
Queen  Victoria's  Diamond  Jubilee,  the 
last  stanza  of  which  reads  as  follows : — 

We  love  not  war,  but  only  peace, 

Yet  never  shall  our  England's  power  decrease ! 

Whoever  guides  our  helm  of  state, 

Let  all  men  know  it,  England  shall  be  great ! 

We  hold  a  vaster  empire  than  has  been  ! 

Nigh  half  the   race  of   man   is   subject  to  our 

Queen  ! 

Xigh  half  the  wide,  wide  earth  is  ours  in  fee! 
And  where  her  rule  comes  all  are  free. 
And  therefore  'tis,  O  Queen,  than  we, 
Knit  fast  in  bonds  of   temperate  liberty, 
Rejoice  today,  and  make  our  solemn  jubilee! 

The  stamps  were  printed  in  the  usual 
sheet  arrangement  of  one  hundred, 
arranged  in  ten  horizontal  rows  of  ten. 
The  black  portion  was  printed  from 
line-engraved  plates  but  the  colored  por- 
tions were,  apparently,  printed  by  litho- 
graphy. Consequently,  three  operations 


53 


were  necessary  before  the  stamps  were 
completed  and,  as  may  readily  be  under- 
stood, a  three  color  process  in  such  a 
small  compass  made  exact  register  a 
matter  of  difficulty.  Thus  on  many 
stamps  portions  of  the  Empire  are 
found  much  out  of  place,  sometimes 
wandering  into  the  sea  and  sometimes 
encroaching  in  an  altogether  too  famil- 
iar manner  on  their  neighbours.  The 
new  stamps  came  in  for  much  criticism, 
of  which  the  following  extract  from  the 
Monthly  Journal  for  January,  1899,  is  a 
fair  sample: — 

It  is  not  quite  an  occasion  for  cap- 
tious criticism,  and  when  we  get  a 
beautiful  colored  map  of  the  world 
for  a  penny  perhaps  we  ought  not  to 
criticise ;  but  we  cannot  think  that  the 
design  is  a  very  appropriate  one  for 
a  postage  stamp.  The  blobs  of  red 
are  not  always  quite  correctly  placed ; 
we  have  even  heard  of  cases  in  which 
a  little  irregularity  of  "register"  has  re- 
sulted in  the  annexation  of  the  greater 
part  of  the  United  States,  while  Eng- 
land invaded  France,  and  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  went  out  to  sea ! 

The  Canadian  newspapers  are  not 
quite  happy  about  it,  but  that  is  natu- 
ral, as  they  are  to  pay  extra  postage 
in  future  to  make  up  any  deficiency 
in  the  budget  caused  by  the  reduction 
in  the  Imperial  rate;  we  hear  that 
even  a  Ministerial  organ  at  Ontario 
complains  that  the  new  stamp  is  too 
large  to  lick  and  too  small  for  wall 
paper!  Some  people  are  never  satis- 
fied. 

The  color  chosen  for  the  sea  portion 
of  the  map  was  lavender  at  first,  but 
as  this  was  not  considered  altogether 
appropriate  it  was  soon  afterwards 
changed  to  sea-green.  In  addition  to 
these  two  tints  it  also  comes  in  a  very 
pronounced  blue. 

The  line-engraved  plates  from  which 
the  black  portion  of  the  design  was 
p/rinted  have  four  marginal  imprints 
consisting  of  AMERICAN  BANK 
NOTE  CO.  OTTAWA  in  Roman  capi- 
tals >2  mm.  high,  the  whole  inscription 
being  29  mm.  long.  These  are  placed 
above  the  third  and  eighth  stamps  of 
the  top  row  and  below  the  correspond- 
ing stamps  of  the  bottom  row.  In  ad- 
dition a  plate  number,  in  hair-line 
figures  about  4  mm.  high,  is  shown 


above  the  division  between  the  two 
central  stamps  of  the  top  row,  these 
figures  being  placed  higher  on  the  mar- 
gin than  the  imprints.  Mr.  Howes  tells 
us  that  plates  1,  2,  3,  and  5  are  known 
but  that  plate  4  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  recorded  though,  presumably,  it 
exists.  All  four  plates  are  known  with 
the  lavender  sea  and  this  is  known  to 
indicate  the  first  printings,  it  would 
appear  that  all  the  plates  were  at  press 
together. 

The  late  Mr.  H.  L.  Ewen  wrote  an 
exhaustive  article  on  the  numerous  va- 
rieties of  this  stamp  but  as  most  of 
these  were  simply  due  to  errors  of  reg- 
ister their  philatelic  importance  is  slight. 
One  variety,  however,  which  is  constant 
is  worthy  of  note.  In  this  two  small 
dots  representing  two  islands  in  mid- 
pacific  are  shown  side  by  side  instead  of 
one  above  the  other  as  on  the  normal 
stamps.  Mr.  Ewen  also  referred  to  a 
slight  retouching  of  one  of  the  plates, 
viz. : — 

Readers  will  have  noted  that  the 
stamps  are  each  surrounded  by  what 
appears  to  be  a  rope.  On  the  sheet 
of  plate  3  before  us,  the  outer  edge 
of  this  rope  on  the  stamps  at  the  end 
of  each  row  (right  hand  side  of  each 
sheet)  has  worn  away  and  has  been 
replaced  by  a  straight  line  engraved 
on  the  plate,  except  on  stamp  No.  80, 
which  still  shows  the  very  defective 
nature  of  the  rope. 
Mr.  Howes  states  that  the  stamp,  with 
all  three  colors  for  the  sea,  is  known 
imperforate. 

How  many  were  issued  is  not  known 
for  certain  as  these  Imperial  stamps 
were  reckoned  together  with  the  ordi- 
nary 2c  in  the  postal  accounts  but  ac- 
cording to  the  London  Philatelist  the 
total  issue  was  about  sixteen  millions. 
In  concluding  this  chapter  we  have  only 
to  add  that  the  cost  of  manufacturing 
the  stamps,  on  account  of  the  three  pro- 
cesses necessary,  was  the  relatively 
high  one  of  45  cents  per  thousand. 

Reference  List. 

Xmas,  1898.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the 
American  Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa. 
Unwatermarked.  Perf.  12. 

68.  2c  black,  lavender  and  red,  Scott's  No. 

82. 

69.  2c  black,  green  and  red. 

70.  2c  black,  blue  and  red,  Scott's  No.  83. 


CHAPTER  XVII. —  The  "2  Cents"  Provisional. 


One  result  of  the  Imperial  Conference 
on  Postal  Rates  held  in  London,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  inauguration  of  Imperial 


Penny  Postage,  was  to  revive  the  agita- 
tion for  the  reduction  of  the  domestic 
rate  on  postage  in  Canada  from  3c  to  2c 


54 


on  letters  weighing  one  ounce  or  less. 
Indeed  just  prior  to  this  Convention  a 
bill  in  amendment  of  the  Post  Office  Act 
had  been  assented  to  by  Parliament 
under  which  it  was  agreed  the  reduced 
rate  of  postage  should  prevail,  but  no 
immediate  steps  were  taken  to  enforce 
the  reduction,  it  being  left  to  the  Gov- 
ernor General  to  name  a  date  when  the 
change  should  take  effect.  The  estab- 
lishment of  Imperial  Penny  Postage, 
however,  brought  matters  to  a  head,  for 
it  was  a  ridiculous  state  of  affairs  under 
which  a  charge  of  3c  had  to  be  levied  in 
carrying  a  letter  from  one  town  to 
another  in  Canada  while  2c  would  carry 
a  similar  letter  (if  under  half  an  ounce 
in  weight)  to  any  point  in  the  British 
Isles.  Consequently  the  Governor  Gen- 
eral named  New  Year's  Day  as  the  date 
when  the  reduced  rate  of  domestic  post- 
age should  come  into  force  as  shown  by 
the  following  "Order  in  Council"  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT. 
By  Proclamation  dated  the  29th 
day  of  December,  1898,  in  virtue  of 
the  Act  further  to  amend  the  Post 
Office  Act  (61  Victoria,  Chapter  20) 
and  of  an  Order  in  Council  in  ac- 
cordance therewith,  it  was  declared 
that  the  postage  rate  payable  on  all 
letters  originating  in  and  transmitted 
by  post  for  any  distance  in  Canada 
for  delivery  in  Canada,  should  be  one 
uniform  rate  of  two  cents  per  ounce 
weight,  from  the  1st  January,  1899. 

The  immediate  effect  of  this  change 
of  rates  was  a  vast  increase  in  the  de- 
mand for  2c  stamps  and  a  correspond- 
ing decrease  in  the  use  of  the  3c.  Also, 
to  fall  in  line  with  Postal  Union  re- 
quirements a  change  of  color  was 
necessary,  but  this  did  not  take  place 
at  once,  the  postal  authorities  preferring 
to  follow  their  usual  precedent  o?  using 
up  the  old  stamps  first. 

The    3c,    which    had    been    printed    in 
large   quantities,   moved    so    slowly   that 
the     Post-Office      Department     decided 
that   the   only   way  the    stock   could   be 
used  up  within  a  reasonable  time  would 
be  to  reduce  the  stamps  to  the  value  of 
2c  by  means  of  a  surcharge.     This  in- 
tention, as  well  as  a  change  in  the  color 
of  the  regular  2c  stamps,  was  set  forth 
in   a   circular   issued   on   July   1st,   1899, 
from  which  we  extract  the  following : — 
Owing  to  the  reduction  in  the  Do- 
mestic letter  rate  of  postage,  the  is- 
sue    of    the     3c    letter-card,     the     3c 
stamped  envelope,  and  the  3c  postage 
stamp      from     the     Department     has 
ceased.     Any   unused   3c   letter-cards, 
3c    stamped   envelopes    or   3c   stamps, 


still  extant,  will,  however,  continue 
available  for  postal  purposes,  or  may 
be  exchanged  at  any  Post  Office,  at 
their  full  face  value,  for  postage 
stamps  of  other  denominations. 

The  color  of  the  Domestic-rate 
postage  stamp,  as  prescribed  by  the 
Universal  Postal  Union,  is  red,  and  it 
is  intended  to  discontinue  the  issue  of 
the  ordinary  two-cents  purple  colored 
stamps  as  soon  as  the  present  supply 
on  hand  is  exhausted.  This  will  be 
about  the  20th  July,  1899.  Thereafter 
the  Department  will  issue  two  cents 
stamps  in  red,  first,  however,  sur- 
charging down  to  two  cents  the  unis- 
sued remnant  of  the  three  cents 
stamps  in  red,  now  in  the  possession 
of  the  Department,  and  as  soon  as 
the  supply  of  such  surcharged  threes 
is  exhausted,  the  issue  of  two  cents 
stamps  in  red  will  begin.  The  sur- 
charged stamps  will  be  issued  to  Post- 
masters as  2c  postage  stamps  and  be 
recognised  as  postage  stamps  of  that 
denomination. 

The  official  estimate  of  the  time  the 
then  existing  stock  of  2c  purple  stamps 
would  last  was  not  far  wrong  for  on 
July  20th  the  first  of  the  surcharged 
labels  were  issued.  The  surcharge  fol- 
lows a  somewhat  peculiar  arrangement 
the  numeral  "2"  and  "S"  of  CENTS 
being  larger  than  the  rest  of  the  in- 
scription, which  is  flat  at  the  bottom  and 
concave  at  the  top.  This  distinctive 
type  is  said  to  have  been  adopted  to 
make  counterfeiting  difficult,  though  it 
is  hardly  likely  anyone  would  have  re- 
duced a  3c  stamp  to  the  value  of  2c 
with  the  idea  of  defrauding  the  Govern- 
ment !  Evidently  the  inscription  was 
specially  engraved  and  from  it  a  plate 
was  constructed  so  that  a  sheet  of  one 
hundred  stamps  could  be  overprinted  at 
one  operation.  Some  little  variation  will 
be  found  in  the  thickness  of  the  type 
of  the  surcharge  though  whether  this  is 
due  to  the  use  of  more  than  one  plate 
or  simply  to  overinking  or  wear  is  a 
doubtful  matter.  The  normal  position 
of  the  surcharge  is  horizontally  across 
the  bottom  of  the  stamps  but  owing  to 
poor  register  it  is  sometimes  found 
much  out  of  position,  and  specimens 
with  the  overprint  across  the  centre  of 
the  labels  have  been  recorded. 

The  surcharge  was,  at  first,  applied 
only  to  the  3c  stamps  of  the  numeral 
type  but  it  was  soon  decided  to  also  use 
up  the  unissued  remainders  of  the  3c 
"maple-leaf"  design  by  surcharging 
them  in  the  same  manner.  These 
stamps  were  first  issued  on  August  8th. 
Both  varieties  are  known  with  inverted 


55 


surcharge.  How  many  of  each  of  these 
three  cent  stamps  were  surcharged  is 
not  known  for  certain  as  the  official 
figures  dealing  with  the  issue  of  stamps 
makes  no  distinction  between  the  two 
varieties.  It  is  stated  that  altogether 
4,120,000  were  surcharged  and  as  the 
varieties  are  equally  plentiful  it  is  only 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  approximate- 


ly   equal    numbers    of   both    types    were 
used  up. 

Reference  List. 

Stamps     of     1897     and     1898     surcharged     "2 
CENTS"    in    black. 

71.  2c  on  3c  carmine  "maple  leaf",  Scott's 

No.    84. 

72.  2c   on   3c    carmine    "numeral",    Scott's 

No.  85. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. — The  Bi-sected  Provisionals. 


The  somewhat  sudden  reduction  of 
the  domestic  postal  rate  from  3c  to  2c 
on  single  letters  led  to  the  production 
of  a  few  provisional  stamps  of  peculiar 
character  at  Port  Hood,  N.  S.,  the  post- 
master of  that  town  dividing  some  of 
his  3c  stamps  into  two  unequal  portions 
and  using  the  smaller  parts  as  Ic  and 
the  larger  ones  as  2c.  In  the  Monthly 
Journal  for  January,  1899,  they  are  re- 
ferred to  as  follows  : — 

In  some  offices  Ic  and  2c  stamps 
ran  short,  and  their  places  were  sup- 
plied by  one-third  and  two-thirds  por- 
tions of  3c  stamps  divided  vertically. 
In  some  places  our  correspondent 
says,  these  divided  stamps  were  em- 
ployed without  further  alteration,  but 
in  others  we  regret  to  hear  that  they 
were  surcharged  with  a  figure  "2"  in 
purple,  upon  the  figure  "3"  of  the 
larger  portion  or  the  word  rtone"  in 
green,  upon  the  smaller  part ;  or,  to 
further  complicate  matters,  when  thirds 
of  two  adjoining  stamps  were  used 
for  2c  each  part  was  impressed  with  a 
figure  "2."  Our  informant's  letter  is 
franked  in  part  by  ^3  of  a  3c  stamp 
surcharged  "2"  so  we  fear  that  this 
horrible  tale  is  founded  on  fact. 
In  the  same  journal  for  March  fur- 
ther reference  is  made  to  these  pro- 
visionals,  viz. : — 

The  surcharged  fractions  appear  to 
have  been  used  only  at  Port  Hood,  N. 
S.,  where  the  Postmaster  apparently 
did  not  consider  it  safe  to  use  divided 
stamps  without  some  distinguishing 
mark.  We  have  seen  other  copies 
since,  and  find  that  a  figure  "I"  was 
struck  upon  the  smaller  portion ;  not 
the  word  "one"  as  previously  stated. 
Again  in  the  April  number  of  the 
same  paper  these  split  stamps  are  re- 
ferred to : — 

In  reference  to  the  cut  and  sur- 
charged 3c  stamps,  a  correspondent 
sends  us  the  following  extract  from 
a  letter  from  the  postmaster  of  Port 
Hood : — "When  the  change  in  Cana- 
dian postage  was  made — of  which  we 


got  notice  by  wire — I  had  only  a  very 
few  two  cent  stamps  in  stock,  so  that 
before  I  got  my  supply  from  Ottawa 
I  ran  completely  out  of  them,  and,  to 
keep  my  account  straight,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  cut  threes.  This  was  for  one 
day  only,  and  not  over  300  stamps 
were  cut.  I  would  say  about  200  '2' 
and  100  T  were  used.  About  100  '2' 
and  probably  nearly  as  many  '!'  were 
marked  with  the  figures  '2'  and  '!'  as 
you  describe,  and  were  placed  on  let- 
ters for  delivery  in  towns  throughout 
the  Dominion.  Those  were  the  only 
provisional  stamps  used  by  this  office." 
Once  more,  in  June,  the  Monthly  Jour- 
nal refers  to  the  philatelically  notorious 
Port  Hood  office  : — 

A  correspondent  tells  us  that  the 
surcharged  provisional  were  not  the 
first  instances  of  the  use  of  the  scis- 
sors at  Port  Hood,  an  envelope  ema- 
nating from  that  office  and  bearing  the 
half  of  the  2c  stamp,  divided  diagonal- 
ly, having  been  found  with  the  date 
July  27th,  1898.  We  do  not  know 
what  the  regulations  are  in  Canada  on 
the  subject  of  receiving  postage  in 
cash,  but  we  should  suppose  that  if  a 
postmaster  runs  out  of  Ic  stamps,  re- 
ceives postage  on  certain  letters,'  in 
cash,  and  then,  to  save  an  entry  in  his 
accounts,  cuts  2c  stamps  in  half  and 
affixes  the  halves  to  the  letters,  it 
would  not  be  considered  a  very  hein- 
ous offence,  and  it  would  account  for 
curiosities  of  this  kind  occasionally 
turning  up. 

But  Port  Hood  does  not  seem  to  have 
been  the  only  office  in  which  the  scis- 
sors were  used,  for  the  following  letter 
from  the  Montreal  Philatelist  shows 
that  stamps  were  bisected  at  at  least 
one  other  office.  In  this  instance  the 
postmaster  divided  5c  stamps  as  well  as 
the  3c  though,  apparently,  he  did  not 
apply  any  surcharge  to  the  fractions : — 
CROSS  ROAD,  COUNTRY  HARBOR. 
April  17th,  1900. 

Dear  Sir, — Your  enquiry  re  stamps 
to  hand.  At  the  time  you  mention  the 


2c  postage  was  given  us  so  suddenly 
that  I  was  about  out  and  "  all  my 
neighbour  P.  M.  was  also  out  and  as 
I  could  only  charge  the  public  2c  I 
could  not  afford  to  put  on  a  3c  stamp 
so  cut  3c  and  5c  to  about  even  the 
thing  up  and  sent  them  along.  Three 
or  four  days'  letters  were  mailed  in 
this  way,  but  I  do  not  know  where 
they  went  to. 

Yours  very  truly, 
E.  S.  SWEET,  Postmaster. 

The  same  journal  in  referring  to  the 
Port  Hood  provisional  makes  some  in- 
teresting comments  which  are  worth 
reproduction,  viz.: — 

This  postmaster  must  be  a  relic  of 
the  anti-confederation  regime,  when 
such  mutilations  were  allowed,  as  even 
an  entire  absence  of  the  required 
values  would  not  warrant,  under  pres- 
ent regulations,  this  antiquated  pro- 
cess. In  such  cases  the  postmaster 
should  forward  the  money  to  the 
office  on  which  his  mail  is  forwarded 
with  a  request  to  affix  the  necessary 
stamps ;  he  can  handstamp  or  write 
the  amount  paid  on  each  letter  if  de- 
sired, but  that  is  not  necessary.  As 
these  fractional  provisional  of  the 
Port  Hood  P.  O.  were  never  issued 
to  the  public,  but  were  affixed  by  the 
postmaster  and  the  amount  paid 
stamped  on  them,  they  are  no  more 
deserving  of  collection  as  postage 
stamps  than  the  hand  stamp  or  pen 
mark  on  an  envelope  would  be  if  no 
stamp  or  portion  of  a  stamp  had  been 
affixed.  If  it  is  asked  "Why  cut  up 
and  affix  the  stamps  then?"  the  an- 
swer is  the  postmaster  knew  no  bet- 
ter and  wanted  to  make  his  cash 
account  correspond  with  the  total  of 
stamps  sold  and  on  hand.  He  tried  to 
simplify  his  book-keeping — nothing 
more — but  went  about  it  in  an  anti- 
quated and  unlawful  way. 
While  genuine  copies  of  these  splits 
on  original  covers  are  interesting  curi- 


osities their  philatelic  value  is  not  of 
the  greatest  importance,  for  they  were, 
seemingly,  never  sold  to  the  public  but 
simply  affixed  by  the  postmaster  after 
he  had  received  payment  in  cash,  to 
simplify  his  accounts.  They  were  cer- 
tainly not  authorised  and  if  they  had 
been  detected  at  the  larger  offices  they 
would  not  have  passed  as  valid  for 
postage. 

In  concluding  our  notes  with  regard 
to  these  cut  stamps  we  reproduce  a  let- 
ter from  the  Post  Office  Department  in 
reply  to  a  collector  who  had  made 
enquiry  about  the  validity  of  the  splits : 

P.  O.  Dept.,  OTTAWA, 
March  30th,  1904. 

In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  24th 
March,  re  stamps  '1*  in  blue,  on  % 
of  3,  and  '2'  in  violet  on  %  of  3  cents, 
I  beg  to  say  that  the  Superintendent 
of  the  Stamp  Branch  assures  me  that 
no  such  stamps  were  ever  issued  or 
recognised  by  this  Department,  and  if 
affixed  to  letters  would  be  treated  as 
ordinary  mutilated  stamps  of  no  value. 
It  appears  that  the  Postmaster  of 
Port  Hood,  N.  S.,  at  the  time  of  the 
change  of  rate  found  himself  short 
of  2  cents  stamps,  and,  acting  on  the 
advice  of  some  stamp  fiend  apparent- 
ly, cut  up  a  sheet  or  so  of  stamps  to 
make  twos  and  ones.  He  nearly  lost 
his  job  over  it,  but  the  Department 
never  got  hold  of  any  of  the  muti- 
lated stamps.  Anybody  could  make 
similar  stamps  by  cutting  up  .and 
marking  old  threes.  Hoping  this  may 
be  satisfactory  to  you, 
Yours,  etc., 

W.  H.  HARRINGTON. 

Reference  List. 

The  3c  stamp  of  1898  divided  vertically  and 
each  portion  surcharged  with  a 
new  value. 

73.  l(c)    in   blue   on   one-third   of   3c   car- 

mine,   Scott's    No.    85A. 

74.  2(c)     in    violet     on    two-thirds    of    3c 

carmine.    Scott's    No.    85B. 


CHAPTER  XIX. — The  2c  Carmine. 


According  to  the  Post  Office  circular 
quoted  in  our  last  chapter  the  issue  of 
the  2c  stamp  in  carmine — or  red,  as  the 
color  was  officially  termed — was  to  be- 
gin when  the  supply  of  surcharged  3c 
stamps  \vas  exhausted.  The  new  2c 
stamp  was  eventually  placed  on  sale  on 
August  20th,  1899,  and  it  is,  of  course, 
exactly  like  the  same  value  previously 
issued  in  purple  in  all  respects  except 


that  of  color.  The  same  plates  were 
used  and  later  many  new  ones  were  put 
to  press.  No  accurate  record  of  the 
different  plates  used  for  this  denomina- 
tion has  been  kept  but,  in  addition  to 
plates  3,  4,  5,  6  and  7  listed  by  Mr. 
Howes,  there  were  probably  many 
others. 

In  1900  Canada  followed  the  lead  of 
many  other  countries  by  issuing  the  2c 


57 


value  in  convenient  booklet  form.  The 
Postmaster-General's  Report  for  1900 
refers  to  these  booklets  as  follows : — 

In  the  month  of  June,  1900,  the  de- 
partment commenced  the  issue  to 
Postmasters,  of  a  small  book  of  2 
cent  postage  stamps,  containing  12 
stamps,  disposed  on  two  sheets  of  6 
stamps  each,  and  interleaved  with  wax 
paper  to  prevent  adhesion  of  the 
sheets.  The  size  of  the  book  is  such 
as  to  make  it  convenient  to  be  carried 
in  the  pocket  or  pocket-book.  Printed 
on  the  cover  is  postal  information 
calculated  to  be  of  interest  to  the 
public.  The  price  at  which  the  book 
is  issued  is  25  cents,  one  cent  over 
the  face  value  of  the  stamps  being 
charged  to  coyer  the  cost  of  binding, 
etc. 


These  stamp  books  were  first  placed 
on  sale  on  June  llth  and  they  rapidly 
came  into  public  favor  as  is  evidenced 
by  the  increasing  sales  every  year  since. 
Mr.  Howes  tells  us  that  "the  books  are 
about  two  by  three  inches  in  size,  with 
stiff  cardboard  covers  which  are  bound 
together  by  red  cloth.  The  coat-of-arms 
of  Canada  with  the  words  CANADA 
POSTAGE  beneath  are  engraved  in  red 
on  the  front  cover,  while  inside  are  four 
pages  of  postal  information  and  the  two 
sheets  of  six  stamps  each — three  hori- 
zontal pairs — backed  by  leaves  of 
paraffined  tissue  paper." 

Reference  List. 

Aug.    20th,    1899.      Engraved    and    printed    by 
the      American      Bank      Note      Co., 
Ottawa.      No    Wmk.       Perf.     12. 
75.       2c   carmine,   Scott's   No.  86. 


CHAPTER  XX. — The  soc  Value  of  /poo. 


On  the  29th  of  December,  1900,  a  20c 
value  was  added  to  the  numeral  series, 
its  advent  being  quite  unannounced. 
The  large  20c  stamps  of  1893  had  been 
finally  used  up  and  the  new  label  not 
only  conformed  to  the  others  of  the 
series  in  design  but  also  took  on  a  new 
color — olive-green  in  place  of  scarlet. 

It  was  printed  from  the  usual  style 
of  line-engraved  plate  with  the  usual 
sheet  arrangement  of  100  stamps  ar- 
ranged in  ten  horizontal  rows  of  ten 
each,  with  the  imprint  and  plate  num- 


ber in  the  centre  of  the  top  margin. 
Only  one  plate — numbered  "1" — seems 
to  have  been  used  and  Mr.  Howes  tells 
us  that  "an  examination  of  the  stamp 
accounts  during  its  term  of  life  make  it 
appear  probable  that  approximately  500,- 
000  were  issued." 

Reference  List. 

Dec.  29th,  1900.  Engraved  and  printed  by 
the  American  Bank  Note  Co., 
Ottawa.  No  Wmk.  Perf.  12. 

76.     20c   olive-green,   Scott's   No.   87. 


CHAPTER     XXI. — The     Queen     Victoria    Seven   Cents. 


Although  the  reduction  in  the  domes- 
tic rate  of  postage  from  3c  to  2c  in  1899 
made  the  8c  stamp — which  was  primarily 
intended  for  the  combined  payment  of 
postage  and  the  registration  fee — of 
little  use  it  was  not  until  December, 
1902,  that  this  value  was  replaced  by  a 
seven  cents  denomination.  The  new 
stamp  was  first  announced  as  being  in 
preparation  in  a  newspaper  despatch 
dated  Ottawa,  Dec.  18th,  1902,  viz.:— 

The  Post  Office  Department  an- 
nounces that  on  the  24th  instant  it 
will  be  in  a  position  to  supply  a  seven 
cent  postage  stamp  to  accounting  post- 
offices  throughout  Canada.  This 
stamp,  which  is  of  yellow  color,  will 
be  especially  convenient  for  postage 
and  registration  fee  on  single  rate 
letters,  while  it  may  also  be  used  for 
.  other  postage  purposes  to  the  extent 
of  its  face  value.  Non-accounting 


offices  can  obtain  their  supply  through 
the  city  post  offices.  This  new  stamp 
will  bear  the  Queen's  head,  the  de- 
partment not  having  yet  decided  on 
the  design  of  the  King's  head  issue. 

This  posthumous  Queen's  head  stamp 
was  of  similar  design  to  the  other  values 
of  the  numeral  series  and  had  the  same 
sheet  arrangement  and  marginal  in- 
scriptions. There  was  but  one  plate — 
numbered  "1" — from  which  Mr.  Howes 
estimates  about  one  million  stamps  were 
printed. 

This  stamp  was  issued  on  December 
23rd,  1902,  according  to  a  statement  in 
the  official  Report. 

Reference  List. 

Dec.  23rd,  1902.  Engraved  and  printed  by 
the  American  Bank  Note  Co., 
Ottawa.  No  Wmk.  Perf.  12. 


77. 


fc   olive-yellow,    Scott's    No.   88. 


58 


CHAPTER  XXII. — The  Kin-'  Ed-icuni  Issue. 


King  Edward  VII  ascended  the 
throne  on  January  22nd,  1901,  but  it  was 
not  until  nearly  two  and  a  half  years 
later  that  the  Dominion  of  Canada  is- 
sued new  stamps  bearing  the  portrait  of 
the  new  sovereign.  In  the  meantime 
there  was  much  comment  and  specula- 
tion as  to  when  the  new  stamps  would 
appear  and  as  to  what  form  they  would 
take,  though  the  Post  Office  Department 
for  reasons  best  known  to  itself,  exer- 
cised a  discreet  silence  on  the  matter. 
Early  in  1903  it  was  reported  in  the 
newspapers  that -designs  had  been  sub- 
mitted and  that  the  Postmaster-General 
had  chosen  one  "bearing  an  excellent 
likeness  of  His  Majesty."  But  the 
earliest  detailed  information  concerning 
the  expected  stamps  appeared  in  the 
Metropolitan  Philatelist  for  April  18th, 
1903,  viz:— 

The  King's  head  series  of  Can- 
adian stamps  will  probably  shortly 
make  its  appearance.  The  die  has 
been  received  by  the  Post  Office  De- 
partment and  approved  of.  The 
stamp  will  be  very  similar  to  the 
present  stamp  except  that  the  maple 
leaf  in  each  of  the  upper  corners 
will  be  replaced  by  a  crown.  The 
figures  of  value  will  appear  in  the 
lower  corners  as  at  present  and  the 
value  will  be  spelled  out  as  at  pres- 
ent in  the  oval  frame  which  sur- 
rounds the  portrait.  This  frame  will 
be  as  in  the  present  stamp.  The  por- 
trait of  the  King  shows  him  three- 
quarters  to  the  right,  head  and 
shoulders,  as  the  Queen  is  in  the  pres- 
ent stamp,  but  there  is  no  crown  on 
his  head.  The  portrait  is  an  excep- 
tionally nice  one  and  it  is  understood 
that  Royalty  has  had  something  to  do 
with  its  selection.  The  die  was  made 
in  England,  although  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.  are  contractors  for 
the  government  work. 
These  details  all  proved  correct  and 
shortly  afterwards  postmasters  were 
given  definite  information  with  regard 
to  the  forthcoming  stamps  by  means  of 
an  official  circular,  dated  June  10th,  and 
worded  as  follows  : — 

Postmasters  are  hereby  informed 
that  _  a  new  issue  of  postage  stamps, 
bearing  the  portrait  of  His  Majesty, 
King  Edward  VII.,  and  comprising 
five  denominations  (Ic,  2c,  5c,  7c  and 
lOc),  is  about  to  be  supplied  to  Post- 
masters for  sale  in  the  usual  way,  but 
none  of  these .  stamps  are  to  be  sold 
until  the  first  of  July,  1903.  The 
colors  of  the  forthcoming  series  will 


be  the  same  respectively  as  those  now 
used  for  the  denominations  specified, 
except  that  the  shade  of  the  7c  will 
be  slightly  deeper. 

Postmasters  will  please  bear  in  mind 
that,  notwithstanding  the  new  issue, 
they  are  not  to  return  to  the  Depart- 
ment any  of  the  old  stamps  on  hand, 
but  will  sell  them  in  the  ordinary  way. 
At  first,  the  public  may  prefer  getting 
new  stamps,  and  if  so,  there  is  no  ob- 
jection to  this  wish  being  acceded  to, 
but  it  is  also  desirable  to  work  off  in 
due  course  all  remnants  of  old 
stamps.  A  change  in  the  design  of 
the  stamp  of  the  present  series  of 
postcards,  post-bands  and  stamped  en- 
velopes, to  correspond  with  that  above 
referred  to,  will  be  made  as  soon  as 
the  present  stock  of  these  items  shall 
have  been  exhausted. 


The  new  King  Edward  Ic,  2c,  5c,  7c 
and  lOc  stamps  were  accordingly  issued 
to  the  public  on  Dominion  Day  (July 
1st),  1903. 

It  will  be  noted  in  one  of  the  extracts 
quoted  above  that  the  die  for  the  new- 
stamps  was  engraved  in  London,  and 
shortly  after  the  appearance  of  the 
stamps  the  London  Philatelist  published 
the  following  article  which  is  of  such 
interest  as  to  merit  its  reproduction  in 
full:  — 

Although  for  a  long  time  past  we 
have  been  aware  of  the  circumstances 
attending  the  preparation  of  the  new 
postage  stamps  for  Canada,  and  in  a 
position  to  illustrate  the  approved  de- 
sign, we  have  refrained  from  publish- 
ing the  facts  in  compliance  with  the 
desire  of  the  authorities  that  no  de- 
tails should  be  made  public  until  the 
stamps  have  been  completed  and  were 
ready  to  be  put  into  circulation.  We 
believe  that  the  delay  which  has  taken 
place  in  bringing  out  the  new  issue 
has  been  due  to  questions  arising  out 
of  the  existing  contract  under  which 
the  postage  stamps  of  the  Dominion 
are  produced,  and  that  even  after  the 
approval  of  the  design  and  the  re- 
ceipt of  the  die  some  difficulties  were 
experienced  in  connection  with  the 
preparation  of  the  plates  by  the  con- 
tractors. 


59 


These  have  happily  been  sur- 
mounted, and  now  that  the  issue  is 
an  accomplished  fact  it  is  with  much 
gratification  that  we  illustrate  the  de- 
sign of  the  new  stamp,  our  illustra- 
tion, prepared  some  time  back,  being 
taken  from  a  proof  from  the  steel 
die  engraved  by  Messrs.  Perkins, 
Bacon  &  Co.,  of  London,  and  used  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  plates  of  the 
several  values  issued  by  the  Canadian 
postal  authorities  on  the  1st  instant. 
By  comparing  our  illustration  with  the 
stamp  as  issued  it  will  be  seen  that 
the  contractors  or  the  postal  authori- 
ties have  made  some  alterations  in  the 
design,  which,  in  our  judgment,  are 
by  no  means  improvements.  The 
leaves  in  the  lower  corners  have  been 
redrawn  on  a  smaller  scale,  and  hardly 
impinge  upon  the  frame;  their  draw- 
ing is  vastly  inferior,  and  the  grace- 
ful effect  of  the  broken  circle  is  lost. 
The  numerals  of  value  are  in  color  on 
a  white  ground  reversing  the  original 
design,  the  labels  being  larger  and  the 
figures  taller  and  thinner,  this  also 
detracting  materially  from  the  charm- 
ing homogenity  of  the  stamp  as  first 
proposed.  The  greatest  alteration, 
and  the  worst,  is  the  substitution  of 
heavy  diagonal  lines  for  horizontal 
ones  in  the  background.  The  latter 
were  finely  drawn  and  delicately 
shaded,  leaving  the  King's  Head  in 
clear  outline,  and  framed  by  the  dark 
oval  band  containing  the  inscriptions. 
The  background  and  frame  no  longer 
present  this  artistic  effect,  and  the 
whole  design  materially  suffers  there- 
by. 

The  circumstances  connected  with 
the  inception  of  the  issue  are  as  grati- 
fying as  they  are  novel,  and  will  be 
hailed  with  acclamation  by  the  Phila- 
telists of  the  British  Empire. 

The  Postmaster  of  Canada,  Sir  Wil- 
liam Mulock,  being  one  of  the  many 
distinguished  visitors  to  this  country 
during  the  Coronation  festivities,  took 
the  opportunity  afforded  by  his  visit 
of  approaching  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  of  meeting  His  Royal  Highness's 
suggestions  and  advice  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  a  new  die  for  the  Canadian 
stamps.  The  Prince,  with  his  charac- 
teristic energy  and  courtesy,  cheer- 
fully undertook  the  task,  and  it  will  be 
seen  from  our  illustration  with  abso- 
lute and  conspicuous  success.  H.  R. 
H.  wisely  decided,  in  the  first  instance, 
that  it  is  advisable  to  have  some  con- 
tinuity of  design  in  succeeding  issues, 
and  therefore  adopted  the  frame  and 
groundwork  of  the  then  current 
stamps  as  a  basis.  In  selecting  a  por- 


trait of  His  Majesty  the  Prince  de- 
cided to  rely  upon  a  photograph 
giving  a  true  likeness  of  the  King  as 
we  know  him,  in  lieu  of  an  idealised 
representation  by  an  artist.  The  photo- 
graph eventually  chosen,  with  the  full 
approval  of  His  Majesty,  was  one 
taken  shortly  before  the  Coronation. 
The  likeness  is  undoubtedly  what  is 
termed  a  speaking  one,  and  with  the 
addition  of  the  Coronation  robes  rep- 
resents as  faithful  and  as  pleasing  a 
picture  of  the  King,  at  the  time  of  his 
accession  to  the  throne,  as  it  is  pos- 
sible to  find.  The  introduction  of  the 
Tudor  crowns  in  the  upper  angles, 
which  was  another  of  the  Prince's 
innovations,  obviates  the  difficulty  that 
has  so  often  made  "the  head  that 
wears  a  crown"  lie  "uneasy"  on  a 
postage  stamp.  These  emblems  of 
sovereignty,  taken  in  conjunction  with 
the  Canadian  maple  leaves  in  the 
lower  angles,  completes  a  design  that 
for  harmony,  boldness  and  simplicity 
has  assuredly  not  been  excelled  by 
any  hitherto  issued  stamps  of  the 
British  Empire.  It  is  palpable,  on 
analysing  the  stamp,  (1)  that  the  at- 
tractiveness of  the  design  has  in  no 
way  been  allowed  to  militate  against 
its  utility,  for  the  country  of  origin 
and  denomination  are  clearly  ex- 
pressed; (2)  that  the  boldness  of  the 
design  has  not  been  detracted  from 
(as  is  so  often  the  case)  by  super- 
fluous ornamentation,  and  that  the 
design  has  been  artistically  balanced 
by  the  introduction  of  the  right-sized 
portrait  and  the  proper  treatment  of 
light  and  shade. 

These  stamps  were,  of  course,  printed 
from  line-engraved  plates  like  those  of 
the  preceding  issues,  and  the  same  sheet 
arrangement  of  100  stamps  in  ten  rows 
of  ten  each  was  followed.  The  marginal 
imprint  shown  on  the  top  margin  of 
each  sheet  is  like  that  shown  on  the 
Queen's  head  sheets  and  the  plates  for 
each  value  were  numbered  from  1  up- 
wards. Mr.  Howes  records  the  follow- 
ing plates  as  having  been  used  up  to 
December,  1910:— 

1  cent— Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10, 

13,  14,  18,  19,  22,  24,  25,  34,  47,  48, 
51,  52,  55,  58. 

2  cents— Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  10, 

11,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16,  17,  18,  19,  20, 
21,  22,  23,  24,  25,  26,  27,  28,  29,  30, 
35,  36,  37,  38,  39,  40,  47,  53,  54,  55, 
56,  57,  58,  59,  62,  63,  67,  68,  69,  70, 
71,  72,  73,  74,  78. 

5  cents — Nos.  1,  2. 

7  cents — No.  1. 
10  cents— Nos.  1,  2. 


60 


It  is  very  possible  other  plates  were 
used  for  most  denominations  before  the 
King  George  stamps  were  issued  in  1912. 
The  colors  were  very  similar  to  those 
employed  for  the  corresponding  values 
of  the  Queen's  head  series  except  as 
regards  the  7c,  which  was  printed  in  a 
darker  and  more  pleasing  shade. 

Nearly  fifteen  months  elapsed  before 
any  other  King  Edward  stamps  were  is- 
sued when,  on  September  27th,  1904,  the 
20c  denomination  made  its  appearance. 
This  is  of  similar  design  to  the  others, 
was  printed  from  the  usual  sized  plate 
of  100,  and  bore  imprint  and  plate  num- 
ber in  the  top  margin  as  before.  Only 
one  plate  has  been  recorded  and  as  the 
use  of  this  denomination  did  not  average 
over  400,000  a  year,  it  is  quite  probable 
that  only  this  one  plate  was  made.  This 
value  was  issued  in  the  olive-green  shade 
adopted  for  its  predecessor. 

More  than  four  years  elapsed  before 
the  next  and  last  value  of  the  King 
Edward  series  appeared.  This  was  the 
50c  denomination,  which  was  placed  on 
sale  on  November  19th,  1908,  after  the 
supply  of  the  old  blue  stamps  first  issued 
in  1893  was  finally  used  up.  In  design, 
sheet  arrangement,  etc.,  it  conforms  with 
the  others  of  the  series.  One  plate — 
numbered  1 — was  used. 

The  2c  value  of  this  series  is  known 
entirely  imperforate  and  the  history  of 
the  variety,  which  is  now  quite  common, 
is  of  considerable  interest.  The  im- 
perforate stamps  were  first  mentioned  in 
the  WEEKLY  for  October  10th,  1908,  in 
the  following  editorial: — 

We  are  enabled  to  report  the  exist- 
ence of  the  two-cent  Canada,  current 
issue,  imperforate,  a  reader  having 
shown  us  a  sheet  of  one  hundred  of 
these  varieties  bearing  the  plate  num- 
ber 18.  This  is  a  discovery  of  mo- 
mentous interest  which  must  attract 
much  attention  not  alone  from  special- 
ists but  from  collectors,  as  we  may 
say  for  the  sake  of  distinction,  as 
well.  The  fact  that  the  pane  bears  so 
early  a  plate  number  removes  it  from 
any  inclusion  in  the  theory  that  the 
Canadian  authorities  propose  to  issue 
stamps  in  imperforate  sheets  in  the 
manner  that  has  been  employed  by  the 
United  States.  Without  doubt,  the 
sheet  under  notice  was  regularly  pre- 
pared for  issue  in  the  accepted  way, 
and  it  is  the  belief  from  information 
at  hand  that  a  sheet  of  four  hundred 
of  the  stamps  was  printed  and  reached 
the  public. 

This  announcement  excited  much  in- 
terest among  collectors  of  Canadian 
stamps  and  enquiry  regarding  the  seem- 
ing irregularity  was  made  of  the  postal 


authorities  at  Ottawa.  The  Post  Office 
Department  were  convinced  that  no  ir- 
regularity could  have  occurred,  but  final- 
ly made  an  enquiry,  and  were,  of  course, 
compelled  to  believe  the  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  imperforate  specimens.  In 
the  issue  of  the  WEEKLY  for  February 
20th,  1909,  a  more  complete  story  of  the 
find  is  related,  viz. : — 

The  sheet  as  found  was  not  of  400 
stamps,  but  of  over  200  stamps,  as 
the  right-hand  half  of  the  sheet  on 
which  our  report  was  based  and  which 
was  not  before  us  when  we  wrote, 
contained  a  pane  of  100  stamps,  plate 
number  14  and  an  irregularly  torn 
part  of  plate  number  13,  snowing 
about  fifteen  whole  stamps  and  parts 
of  others.  Assuming  that  the  lower 
pane  in  the  left  half  was  torn  approxi- 
mately in  the  manner  of  the  right 
lower  pane,  or  plate  number  13,  the 
find  consisted  originally  of  230  stamps, 
more  or  less.  This  reckoning  agrees, 
we  believe,  with  the  recollection  of 
the  person  who  rescued  the  imperfo- 
rates  from  oblivion,  in  a  philatelic 
sense.  The  plate  numbers  on  the  sheet 
that  gave  authority  for  the  chronicling 
of  the  stamps  by  the  WEEKLY  are  13 
and  14,  and  not  18,  as  first  printed. 

A.  N.  Lemieux  of  Chicago  is  the 
man  who  found  the  stamps.  While  in 
Ottawa  five  years  ago  or  so  (this  was 
later  corrected  to  June,  1906),  when 
he  was  in  business  in  that  city,  he 
saw  the  stamps  just  within  the  iron 
fence  that  has  been  described  as  sur- 
rounding the  establishment  of  the 
bank  note  company  that  prints  the 
Canadian  stamps.  The  day  was  a 
rainy  one  and  the  sheet  had  evidently 
been  blown  out  of  the  window.  Mr. 
Lemieux  apparently  attached  no  value 
to  the  sheet  of  over  200  stamps,  which 
was  in  a  wet,  crumpled  condition,  and 
without  gum.  Mr.  Lemieux  was  un- 
der the  impression,  no  doubt,  that 
gum  had  been  on  the  sheet  but  had 
been  washed  off  by  the  rain. 

Mr.  Severn  ultimately  acquired  what 
was  left  of  this  imperforate  sheet,  and 
later  submitted  the  stamps  to  the  officials 
at  Ottawa,  who  pronounced  them  but 
"printer's  waste".  Mr.  Severn,  in  add- 
ing to  the  history  of  these  imperforates, 
says : — 

They  seemingly  had  been  trampled 
upon  and  subjected  to  the  usage  that 
would  be  given  such  castoff  material. 
Further,  it  was  said  that  they  had  been 
blown  or  thrown  out  of  a  window,  no 
doubt.  It  was  suggested  that  the 
stamps  be  returned  to  Ottawa  and  that 
there  were  moral  grounds  for  such  a 


course   on   the   part   of   the    holders. 
The    description   of   "printer's   waste" 
seems  to  be  correct  and  the  inference 
is    that    the    stamps    never    had    been 
gummed.    They  belong  to  that  class  of 
curiosities  that  appeal  strongly  to  the 
specialist,  but  which  the  ordinary  col- 
lector    regards     as     something     apart 
from  his  collecting  policy. 
The  stamps  did  not  go  back  to   Ot- 
tawa,   and   the   postal   authorities   there 
annoyed,  doubtless  righteously,  that  such 
things    should    escape    from    their    well 
regulated  printing  establishment  went  to 
considerable   trouble    to    make    the    im- 
perforates    of     small     monetary    value. 
The  following  paragraph,  written  by  a 
correspondent  of  the  WEEKLY,  was  the 
first  inkling  collectors  had  that  the  de- 
partment had  thought  any  more  of  the 
matter  :— 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that 
the  last  supplement  to  the  Canadian 
Post  Office  Guide  contains  the  fol- 
lowing: "In  view  of  representations 
which  have  been  made  to  the  Depart- 
ment, it  has  been  decided  to  permit 
the  sale  of  the  2-cent  denomination  of 
Canadian  postage  stamps  of  the  cur- 
rent issue,  in  sheets  of  100,  without  the 
usual  perforation"  I  at  once  asked 
for  a  sheet  of  the  2-cent,  and  inci- 
dentally said  I  would  take  a  sheet  of 
the  other  denominations  if  available. 
A  reply  came  to-day  informing  me 
that  only  the  2-cent  would  be  avail- 
able, and  then  not  for  some  time,  as 
the  department  intends  to  make  a 
separate  printing  of  these  stamps,  to 
supply  whatever  demand  may  occur. 

It  was  stipulated  that  applications  for 
these  imperforate  stamps  should  be 
made  to  the  Postmaster  at  Ottawa. 
When  the  sheets  of  these  stamps  came 
into  collectors'  hands  it  was  found  they 
had  been  printed  from  plates  13  and  14 — 
the  same  as  those  from  which  the  origin- 
ally chronicled  "errors"  were  printed.  It  is 
obvious  that  the  Department  issued 
these  stamps  simply  to  "get  back"  at 
the  holder  of  the  sheet  so  unfortunately 
blown  or  thrown  out  of  the  printing- 
office  window  in  1906.  That  they  were 
not  intended  for  use  in  mailing  machines 
seems  amply  proved  from  the  fact  that 
none  of  the  2c  stamps  of  the  present 
issue  have  been  issued  in  imperforate 
sheets. 

No  T/2c  value  was  issued  in  the  King 
Edward  design  although  the  Queen's 
head  stamp  of  that  denomination  con- 
tinued in  use  until  1909.  This  value  was 
primarily  intended  for  use  in  prepaying 
the  postage  on  transient  newspapers, 
but  for  many  years  the  number  sold  to 


*the  public  was  out  of  all  proportion  to 
those  which  could  have  been  required 
for  its  legitimate  use.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  large  quantities  were  purchased  by 
stamp  dealers  for  wholesaling  to  packet 
makers  and  dealers  in  the  cheap  ap- 
proval sheet  business  and,  undoubtedly, 
stamp  collectors  in  Canada  usually  pre- 
ferred to  use  four  */2c  stamps  on  their 
letters  rather  than  an  ordinary  2c  one. 
This  excessive  demand  for  the  l/zc  re- 
sulted in  the  Post  Office  Department 
issuing  the  following  circular  to  Post- 
masters in  1902  :— 

The    attention    of    postmasters     is 
drawn    to    the    fact    that    the    postal 
necessity  for  the   */2c  stamp,  as  such, 
is  now  confined  to  one  purpose — pre- 
payment of  newspapers  and  periodicals 
posted  singly,  and  weighing  not  more 
than  one  ounce  each.    As  publications 
of  the  kind  referred  to  must,  in  the 
nature  of  things,  be  few,  and  as  in  the 
case    of   their    being    mailed    to    sub- 
scribers  by  the   office   of   publication, 
the    bulk    rate    of    postage    would    be 
far  cheaper  and  more  convenient  for 
the  publisher,  the  demand  for  the  l/2c 
stamp  throughout  the  Dominion  must 
be  appreciably  diminished  as  a  result 
of  this  restriction  of  its  use.     While, 
of  course,  any  number  of   *^c  stamps 
on  an   article  of   correspondence  will 
be  recognized  to  the  full  extent  of  their 
aggregate    face    value,    it    is    not    the 
wish    of    the    Department    to    supply 
them  except  for  the  sole  specific  pur- 
pose above  mentioned,  and  an  intima- 
tion to  that  effect  should  be  given  by 
postmasters  to  patrons  of  their  office 
who  are  in  the  habit  of  buying  ^2-cent 
stamps  for  other  postal  purposes. 
This  circular  had  quite  an  effect  on  the 
use  of  l/2c  stamps,  for  only  about  one- 
third   as   many   were  used   in   the  year 
following  the  publication  of  the  circular. 
Finally,    on    May    19th,    1909,    the    Post 
Office    Act    was    amended    so    that    the 
special  rate  on  newspapers  was  repealed 
and  the  minimum  postage  on  any  single 
piece  of  mail  became  Ic.    This  did  away 
for  the  necessity  of  l/2c  stamps  and,  of 
course,    discounted    any    further    possi- 
bility of  the  value  being  included  in  the 
King's  head  series. 

Reference  List. 

1903-8.  Die  engraved  by  Perkins,  Bacon  & 
Co.,  London.  Plates  prepared  and 
stamps  printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa.  No.  wmk. 
Perf.  12. 

78.  Ic    green,    Scott's    No.   89. 

79.  2c   carmine,   Scott's   No.   90. 

80.  5c  blue  on  blue,   Scott's   No.  91. 

81.  7c  olive-bistre,   Scott's  No.  92. 

82.  lOc  brown  lilac,   Scott's   No.   9:5. 

83.  20c  olive-green,  No.  94. 

84.  50c  purple.  No.  95. 


XX II I. — The  Quebec  Tercentenary    Issue. 


The  year  1U08  marked  the  three  hun- 
dredth anniversary  of  the  first  perma- 
nent settlement  in  Canada,  made  by 
Champlain  at  Quebec  in  1608,  and  plans 
were  formed  to  celebrate  the  event  in  a 
fitting  manner  by  means  of  fetes,  histori- 
cal pageants,  etc.  In  fact,  the  occasion 
was  considered  of  such  importance  that 
the  then  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales 
(now  King  George  V  of  England  and 
his  Royal  Consort)  were  invited  to  be 
present  at  the  festivities,  and  they  made 
a  special  journey  in  one  of  Britain's 
most  formidable  battleships. 

Quite  early  it  was  rumoured  that  the 
Post  Office  Department  would  mark  the 
event,  as  in  Diamond  Jubilee  year,  by 
the  issue  of  a  series  of  special  stamps, 
and  though  in  March  the  Hon.  Rudolphe 
Lemieux,  who  was  then  Postmaster- 
General,  announced  that  such  an  issue 
would  assuredly  be  made,  the  Depart- 
ment exercised  the  greatest  reticence 
as  to  what  values  would  be  included  in 
the  series,  and  what  subjects  would 
form  the  designs.  Naturally  the  De- 
partment was  inundated  with  all  sorts 
of  suggestions,  more  or  less  appropriate 
to  the  occasion,  but,  apparently,  the 
"powers  that  be"  had  their  plans  already 
made  and  it  was  not  until  a  few  days 
before  the  stamps  were  ready  for  use 
that  any  information  was  made  public 
regarding  the  series.  The  Toronto 
Globe  for  July  4th  printed  the  follow- 
ing despatch  from  its  Ottawa  corre- 
spondent : — 

Postmaster-General  Lemieux  has 
given  instructions  to  issue  a  series 
of  postage  stamps  commemorating 
the  tercentenary.  They  are  eight  in 
number.  Four  of  them  bear  portraits 
of  persons  dear  to  Canada,  or  whose 
names  recall  great  events.  The  first 
represents  the  Prince  and  Princess  of 
Wales;  the  second  the  King  and 
Queen.  Next  come  Cartier  and 
Champlain,  and  then,  in  connection 
with  the  battlefields  park  scheme,  Wolfe 
and  Montcalm.  The  second  part  of 
the  issue  represents  Cartier's  arrival 
before  Quebec.  On  the  calm  waters  of 
the  mighty  St.  Lawrence  stand  in  bold 
relief  three  ships  of  the  discoverer  of 
Canada,  flying  the  fleur-de-lys. 

As  a  sequel  to  the  above  is  a  very 
picturesque  tableau.  In  Champlain's 
narrative  of  his  third  voyage  to  Can- 
ada is  found  the  following  passage : — 
"With  our  canoes  laden  with  pro- 
visions, our  arms  and  some  merchan- 
dise to  be  given  as  presents  to  the 
Indians,  I  started  on  Monday,  May 


27,  from  the  isle  of  Saincte  Helaine. 
accompanied  by  four  Frenchmen  and 
one  Indian.  A  salute  was  given  in  my 
honour  from  some  small  pieces  of 
artillery." 

The  artist,  under  the  inspiration  of 
these  few  lines,  has  depicted  Cham- 
plain's  departure  for  the  west.  There 
stand  two  canoes.  In  one  Cham- 
plain's  companions  have  already  taken 
their  places,  paddle  in  hand,  whilst 
the  great  explorer  is  still  on  shore, 
bidding  good-bye  to  a  few  friends. 
The  picture  is  full  of  life.  The  leg- 
end underneath  reads  as  follows : 
"Partement  de  Champlain  pour 
L'ouest."  The  word  "partement", 
now  obsolete,  is  the  one  used  by 
Champlain  for  the  modern  one 
"depart". 

The  same  note  of  old  France  is 
used  in  connection  with  a  view  of 
the  first  house  in  Quebec,  indeed  in 
Canada,  Champlain's  habitation,  which 
is  called  in  his  narrative  "1'abitation  de 
Quebecq".  This  stamp  is  a  clear  re- 
production of  a  cut  from  Champlain's 
work.  Quebec  as  it  was  in  1700  is  the 
next  view,  copied  from  Bacqueville  de 
la  Potherie's  "Histoire  de  la  Nouvelle 
France".  It  is  a  quaint  picture  of  the 
old  city,  showing  steeples  here  and 
there,  the  fort  on  the  river  front  and 
in  faint  lines  the  Laurentide  Moun- 
tains in  the  background. 

All  stamps  bear  with  the  words 
"CANADA  POSTAGE"  the  line  "Ille 
centenaire  de  Quebec". 

The  postmaster-general  has  given 
special  attention  to  the  selection  of 
portraits  and  historical  scenes  to  be 
represented.  His  choice  has  been  an 
excellent  one. 

The  carrying  out  of  the  engraving 
part  of  the  plan  has  been  entrusted 
to  Mr.  Machado,  of  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  who,  with  keen  ar- 
tistic sense,  has  performed  his  part  of 
the  work  with  great  success. 

In  the  same  newspaper  of  the  same 
date  appears  another  despatch  giving 
particulars  of  the  designs  alloted  to  each 
denomination  and  the  chosen  colors 
viz : — 

The  special  postage  stamps  to  be 
issued  in  commemoration  of  the  ter- 
centenary celebration  at  Quebec  are 
now  ready,  and  will  be  placed  on 
sale  next  week.  The  stamps  are  of 
most  artistic  design,  and  are  larger 
than  the  ordinary  size,  to  allow  of 
adequate  representation  of  historic 


scenes,  portraits,  etc.  The  description 
of  each  denomination  is  as  follows : — 
Half-cent,  grey,  picture  of  the  Prince 

and   Princess   of  Wales. 
One-cent,    green,   portraits   of    Cham- 
plain  and  Carrier. 
Two-cent,     red,     King     Edward     and 

Queen    Alexandria. 
Five-cent,      blue,      representation      of 

L/Habitation  de  Quebec. 
Seven-cent,  yellow,  pictures  of  Mont- 
calm  and  Wolfe. 
Ten-cent,    mauve,    picture    of    Quebec 

in  1700. 

Fifteen-cent,    orange,    picture    of    the 
Parliament  of  the  West  in  the  old 
regime. 
Twenty-cent,     green,     picture     of     a 

courier  du  sois  with  Indians. 
The  stamps  were  placed  on  sale  on 
July  16th  and,  as  will  be  noted  from  our 
illustrations,  they  are  as  described 
above  except  that  the  15c  does  not  have 
Champlain's  name  on  it  as  stated  in  the 
first  quotation,  and  that  the  15c  and  20c 
are  incorrectly  described  in  the  second 
despatch.  The  stamps  are  of  similar 
shape  to  the  special  series  issued  in 
Diamond  Jubilee  year  though  they  are 
a  trifle  larger — 1  mm.  taller  and  nearly 
3  mm.  longer.  The  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral's Report  for  1909  referred  to  this 
issue  as  follows  : — 

To  meet  what  appeared  to  be  a 
general  wish  a  special  series  of  post- 
age stamps,  which  has  come  to  be 
known  as  the  Tercentenary  Series, 
was  introduced  as  a  feature  of  the 
celebration  in  July,  1908,  of  the  three 
hundredth  anniversary  of  the  found- 
ing of  Quebec  by  Champlain.  The 
first  supply  of  these  stamps  was  sent 
out  to  Postmasters  about  the  middle 
of  that  month,  and  was  on  sale  to  the 
public  by  the  time  His  Royal  Highness, 
the  Prince  of  Wales,  reached  Quebec 
for  the  celebration.  The  demand  for 
the  new  stamps  was  extraordinary, 
and  for  the  better  part  of  a  month 
was  steadily  kept  up.  The  interest 
taken  in  them  was,  in  no  small  meas- 
ure, due  to  the  historic  associations 
with  which  in  design  they  were  so 
happily  linked,  the  subjects  depicted 
in  the  several  denominations  of  the 
series  being  in  variety  and  appro- 
priateness admirably  adapted  to  the 
end  in  view, — popular  recognition  of 
an  epoch-making  event. 

Except  as  regards  the  Postal  Union 
denominations  of  Ic,  2c  and  5c  the 
colors  chosen  for  the  stamps  of  this 
series  do  not  correspond  with  those  of 
the  regular  set.  The  stamps  were  pro- 


duced by  the  line-engraved  process, 
which  has  long  been  the  standard 
method  of  production  for  Canada's 
stamps,  and  as  usual  they  were  issued 
in  sheets  of  one  hundred  in  ten  rows 
of  ten.  It  seems  probable  that  the  plates 
for  the  2c,  and  possibly  for  the  Ic  also, 
consisted  of  two  panes  of  100  stamps 
each  placed  one  above  the  other.  This 
seems  to  be  proved  from  the  fact  that, 
whereas  on  most  sheets  the  imprint 
"OTTAWA"  followed  by  the  plate 
number,  appears  in  the  centre  of  the 
top  margin,  sheets  of  the  2c  are  known 
with  the  imprint  in  the  centre  of  the 
bottom  margin,  and  in  the  case  'of 
plates  3  and  4  both  imprint  and  num- 
ber are  inverted.  The  inversion  on 
these  particular  plates  was,  probably, 
purely  accidental.  But  though  these 
large  plates  were  used  the  stamps  were 
always  issued  in  the  usual  sheet  size 
of  100.  The  following  plates  are 
known  to  have  been  used : — 

*/2C  dark  brown,  No.  1. 
Ic  blue-green,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4. 
2c  carmine,  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  4. 
5c  dark  blue,  Nos.  1,  2. 
7c  olive-green,  No.  1. 

lOc  dark  violet,  No.  1. 

15c  red-orange,  No.   1. 

20c  yellow  brown,  No.  1. 

The  stamps  were  all  printed  on  the 
usual  white  wove  paper  and  were  per- 
forated 12,  though  specimens  of  the  2c 
are  known  entirely  imperforate.  Fairly 
well  marked  shades  may  be  found  in 
connection  with  the  Ic  and  2c  denomi- 
nations but  the  other  values  show  but 
very  slight  differences. 

The  royal  portraits  on  the  3^c  and  2c 


64 


values  call  for  little  comment,  though 
it  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  portrait 
of  the  Princess  of  Wales  (now  .Queen 
Mary)  is  exactly  similar  to  that  shown 
on  the  4c  stamp  of  Newfoundland  which 
was  first  issued  in  1901.  The  picture 
of  the  Prince  of  Wales  (now  His 
Majesty  King  George  V)  was  from  a 
photograph  by  W.  &  D.  Downey,  of 
London,  taken  just  prior  to  his  journey 
to  India  in  1906. 


The  portrait  of  Jacques  Cartier  on 
the  Ic  is  precisely  like  that  which  ap- 
pears on  Canada's  first  lOd  stamp.  In 
Gibbons'  Stamp  Weekly  for  January 
16th,  1909,  the  following  interesting  ac- 
count of  Carrier's  voyage  appears : — 

In  the  year  1533  Jacques  Cartier 
was  empowered  by  Philipp  Cabcrt, 
"the  Admiral  of  France,"  to  fit  out 
ships  "to  explore  new  territories,  to 
gain  them,  by  robbery  or  otherwise, 
for  France,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
endeavour  to  find  a  north-west  pass- 
age to  Cathay".  As  long  before  as 
1506  the  Florentine  explorer,  Giovanni 
Verozzani,  had  seized  the  territories 
of  North  America  lying  to  the  north 
of  the  St.  Lawrence  River  in  the 
name  of  the  King  of  France,  but  the 
seizure  had  never  been  enforced,  and 
remained  a  siezure  only  in  name. 

On  this,  his  first  voyage,  Cartier 
discovered  Newfoundland,  and,  sail- 
ing on,  anchored  off  the  northerly 
coast  of  the  Gaspe  Peninsula,  by 
which  the  River  St.  Lawrence  sweeps 
into  the  gulf  of  the  same  name.  The 
season  was  very  late,  however,  and 
bad  weather  was  to  be  expected,  so 
Cartier  was  obliged  to  set  sail  for 
France  without  delay.  He  took  with 
him  to  France  two  sons  of  an  Indian 
chief,  and  they  caused  great  excite- 
ment in  Paris. 

King  Francis  I  was  so  pleased  with 
this  exploit  that  on  October  31,  1534, 
he  nominated  Captain  Jacques  Car- 
tier  to  be  "Royal  Pilot"  (Pilot  e 
Royale},  and  had  three  more  ships 
prepared  for  him  to  make  a  second 
voyage  to  Newfoundland.  Prepara- 
tions for  the  departure  were  hurried 
on  at  St.  Malo,  Cartier's  birthplace, 


and  at  the  beginning  of  May  all  was 
ready  for  the  departure. 

Three  ships  took  part  in  the  voyage, 
viz. :  La  Grande  Hermione,  La 
Petite  Hermione,  and  La  Hermion- 
ette.  The  first  two  were  vessels  rated 
at  120  and  80  tons  respectively,  and 
the  last  was  a  galleon  of  40  tons.  On 
the  after  part  of  the  first  two  vessels 
there  were  no  less  than  three  decks 
as  superstructure,  while  forward 
there  was  only  one  deck.  They  were 
provided  with  the  full  naval  arma- 
ment of  the  sixteenth  century;  on  the 
gunwale  were  mounted  small  cannon, 
and  also  a  battery  of  mortars  or 
similar  weapons. 

The  galleon  was  a  long  slender 
ship  of  extremely  low  freeboard, 
rakish  rigged  as  a  single-master,  both 
sails  and  oars  being  used  as  a  means 
of  propulsion ;  two  small  cannon  were 
mounted  forward,  and  a  round  dozen 
arquebuses  were  also  carried.  The 
total  company  and  passengers  of  the 
three  ships  were  only  110  all  told. 

On  the  morning  of  May  19th,  1535, 
the  little  flotilla  set  forth  on  its  long 
voyage  of  exploration  after  having 
saluted  the  town  with  every  gun  on 
board. 

On  September  14th  of  the  same 
year  Cartier  sighted  land,  which 
spread  itself  out  on  either  side  of  the 
ships  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  and 
found  signs  of  a  village ;  the  place 
was  called  Canada  by  the  natives,  the 
meaning  of  the  word  in  the  native 
language  being  "The  Town".  This 
village  was  the  seat  of  "government", 
and  was  occupied  by  an  Indian  chief 
called  Donnacona;  it  was  situate 
right  on  the  shore  of  the  bay  formed 
by  the  junction  of  the  rivers  St. 
Charles  and  St.  Lawrence.  The  vil- 
lage seemed  to  consist  of  huts  built 
irregularly  on  the  steep  sides  of  a 
mountain,  the  spot  later  being  the 
position  of  the  southerly  and  easterly 
quarters  of  Quebec. 

The  historical  moment  of  the  arrival 
of  Cartier's  brave  little  "fleet"  is  in- 
terestingly depicted  on  the  20c  value  of 
the  tercentenary  series.  Samuel  de 
Champlain,  whose  portrait  is  also  shown 


65 


on  the  Ic  denomination,  was  born  in 
1570  and  died  in  1635.  Again  we  are 
indebted  to  the  article  in  Gibbons'  Stamp 
Weekly  for  the  following  particulars  : — 
In  1603  he  was  commissioned  by 
King  Henry  IV  of  France  to  found  a 
settlement  in  Canada.  On  his  first 
voyage  he  sailed  up  the  St.  Lawrence, 
and  established  friendly  relations 
with  the  various  native  chiefs  of  the 
tribes  inhabiting  the  country  through 
which  the  river  flowed.  On  his  second 
voyage  he  was  accompanied  by  only 
thirty  people,  and  on  July  3rd,  1608,  he 
landed  at  the  village  of  Canada, 
which  was  mentioned  above.  His 
first  thought  was  to  find  a  site  suit- 
able for  the  erection  of  an  "abitation" 
where  he  might  pass  the  winter  that 
was  coming  on.  "I  could  find  no 
more  comfortable  or  better  spot  than 
the  land  around  Quebec,  where 
countless  nut  trees  were  to  be  seen," 
wrote  Champlain.  That  was  exactly 
the  same  place  where  Cartier  had 
built  his  fort  sixty  years  before. 

Thanks  to  extreme  industry,  winter 
quarters  were  rapidly  erected.  The 
habitation  consisted  of  three  principal 
buildings,  each  two  stories  high.  Two 
of  these  buildings  measured  18  ft. 
long  by  9  ft.  wide,  and  the  third,  used 
as  a  storehouse,  was  36  ft.  long  by  18 
ft.  wide  and  had  a  large  cellar.  ^  In 
the  first  building  Champlain  lived 
with  a  few  of  the  workmen  in  the 
lower  story;  in  the  other  the  remain- 
ing workpeople  lived,  and  had  with 
them  the  arms  and  ammunition  of  the 
whole  party.  An  annexe  was  at- 
tached to  one  of  the  buildings,  and  it 
was  used  as  a  smithy;  a  few  of  the 
people  also  slept  there.  The  whole  of 
the  buildings  were  enclosed  by  a 
trench  or  moat  15  ft.  wide  and  9  ft. 
deep,  to  protect  the  settlers  from  the 
ravages  of  wild  beasts. 

Champlain  had  earthworks  thrown 
up  on  the  inner  side  of  the  moat,  on 
which  cannons  were  mounted.  Be- 
tween the  encampment  and  the  river 
there  remained  a  strip  only  24  ft. 
wide;  and  behind,  on  the  side  of  the 
mountain,  there  was  a  plot  of  arable 
land  a  little  more  than  100  ft.  long  and 
60  ft.  wide,  where  Champlain  had  corn 
sown  and  vines  planted. 


This  "abitation"  is  shown  on  the  5c 
value  of  the  series,  while  on  the  lOc  is 
shown  the  city  of  Quebec  as  it  had 
grown  by  1700  from  such  small  and 
modest  beginnings. 


In  the  following  May  Champlain  de- 
cided to  explore  the  river  and  his  de- 
parture on  this  momentous  journey  is 
depicted  on  the  15c  stamp. 


On  the  7c  denomination  are  portraits 
of  the  two  famous  generals,  Montcalm 
and  Wolfe,  both  of  whom  were  killed 
fighting  each  other  on  the  heights  of 
Quebec.  Again,  to  quote  from  the 
article  in  Gibbons  Stamp  Weekly : — 


So  early  as  1628  Quebec  was  cap- 
tured by  the  English,  in  spite  of 
Champlain's  brave  defence ;  but  Cana- 
da was  restored  to  France  by  one  of 
the  terms  of  the  Treaty  of  Saint- 
Germain-en-Laye,  which  was  con- 
cluded in  1632.  Richelieu  at  once  sent 
Champlain  back  to  Quebec  as  Gover- 
nor-General of  Canada. 

Twice  more,  in  1690  and  1711,  the 
English  besieged  Quebec,  but  they 
were  not  able  to  capture  the  town. 
But  in  1759  General  James  Wolfe  was 
ordered  by  Pitt  to  clear  the  French 
right  out  of  Canada.  The  French 
troops  were  under  the  command  of 
Marquis  Ludwig  Joseph  Montcalm,  of 
Saint- Veran.  Although  the  latter  was 
in  command  of  only  a  small  force,  he 
was  able  to  claim  several  victories, 


66 


but  finally  he  was  beseiged  in  Quebec 
by  General  Wolfe,  at  the  head  of 
30,000  men.  He  was  obliged  to  give 
battle  under  unequal  conditions,  and 
on  September  13th  was  mortally 
wounded  at  the  battle  of  the  Heights 
of  Abraham  and  died  two  days  later. 
The  victorious  English  general  was 
also  killed  in  the  same  battle. 

The  names  of  both  these  leaders, 
enemies  though  they  were,  have 
graven  themselves  inseparably  on  the 
memories  of  the  inhabitants  of  Que- 
bec. In  1827  the  Governor  of 
Canada,  Lord  Dalhousie,  erected  a 
marble  monument  to  their  memory, 
on  which  is  a  Latin  inscription,  which 
may  be  rendered  freely  thus  : — 

"Their  courage  caused  their  death. 
History  praises  them  both. 
Posterity     erects     this     monument     to 
their  honour." 

Xo  advance  information  was  pub- 
lished as  to  the  numbers  printed  of  the 
several  values  in  the  series,  as  in  the 
case  of  the  Jubilee  set,  so  that  little 
attempt  at  cornering  any  particular 
values  was  made  by  speculators.  True, 
large  quantities  of  the  l/2c  value  were 
bought  up  by  people  who  imagined  it 
would  be  as  rare  as  the  corresponding 
value  of  the  Jubilee  stamps,  but  as 
there  were  two  million  of  these  they 
did  not  turn  out  to  be  the  gold-mine  it 
was  fondly  imagined  they  would.  By 
September,  1908,  all  values  except  the 
lOc,  15c  and  20c  had  been  exhausted 
and  by  the  end  of  October  these  three 
values  were  sold  out  as  well.  The 
numbers  issued  were  later  given  out  by 
the  Postmaster-General  in  answer  to 
two  questions  propounded  to  him  in  the 
House  of  Commons  by  Mr.  Perley,  a 
member.  The  Canadian  Hansard  gives 
this  data  as  follows : — 

1. — What  was  the  total  amount  re- 
ceived by  the  Post  Office  Department 
from  the  sale  of  the  special  Tercen- 
tenary    stamps?     2. — What     part     of 
this    sum    would   probably    have    been 
received  as  ordinary  revenue  if  there 
had  been  no  special  issue  of  stamps? 
To    these    questions    the    Hon.    Ru- 
dolphe  Lemieux,   Postmaster-General, 
responded :      The    following    was    the 
issue   to    Postmasters   of  the  Tercen- 
tenary postage  stamps : 
Denominations.  Quantities.  Value. 
y2  cent  2,000,000         $10,000 

1  cent         22,530,000       $225,300 

2  cent         35,100,000       $702,000 
5  cent  1^200,000         $60,000 
7  cent  700,000         $49,000 

10  cent  500,000        $50,000 

15  cent  300,000        $45,000 

20  cent  304,200         $60,840 


Totals,          62,634,200    $1,202,140 


The  department  has  no  knowledge 
whether  the  stamps  in  question  have 
all  been  sold,  as  during  their  issue 
the  ordinary  postage  stamps  were  also 
on  sale,  both  issues  being  in  use  as 
preferred  by  the  public.  The  pro- 
ceeds derived  from  the  sale  of  stamps 
of  the  two  issues  were  not  kept  sepa- 
rately, but  treated  as  arising  from  a 
common  source.  It  is,  therefore,  im- 
possible to  state  to  what  extent  the 
issue  of  the  Tercentenary  postage 
stamps  may  have  affected  the  ordinary 
revenue. 

The  fact  that  the  Prince  of  Wales  was 
an  ardent  stamp  collector  resulted  in 
the  presentation  to  him  of  a  specially 
mounted  set  as  shown  by  the  following 
paragraph  from  the  WEEKLY: — 

As  the  Prince  of  Wales  is  an  en- 
thusiastic collector  of  stamps,  His 
Royal  Highness  will  no  doubt  be  very 
pleased  to  receive  the  set  of  the  spec- 
ial tercentenary  stamps  which  will 
be  presented  to  him  at  Quebec.  The 
stamps  will  be  held  in  small  gold 
boxes,  enclosed  in  a  handsome  large 
box  of  Morocco  leather.  A  second 
set  accompanies  the  gift  in  a  special 
gold  box,  on  the  cover  of  the  large 
box  is  the  Prince's  crest  and  a  gold 
plate  inscribed  as  follows :  "Set  of 
Canadian  postage  stamps  issued  upon 
the  occasion  of  the  Quebec  tercenten- 
ary, 1908.  Presented  to  His  Royal 
Highness  the  Prince  of  Wales  by  Hon. 
Rudolphe  Lemieux,  Postmaster-Gen- 
eral of  Canada."  Sets  of  these 
stamps,  in  boxes  with  appropriate 
crests  and  monograms,  will  be  pre- 
sented to  Earl  Grey,  Sir  Wilfred 
Laurier  and  Hon.  Rudolphe  Lemieux. 

Reference  List. 

1908.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa.  No  wmk. 
Perf.  12. 

85.  ic  dark  brown,  Scott's  No.  96. 

86.  Ic  blue  green,  Scott's  No.  97. 

87.  2c  carmine,  Scott's  No.  98. 

88.  5c  dark  blue,  Scott's  No.  99. 

89.  7c  olive  green,  Scott's  No.   100. 

90.  lOc  dark  violet,  Scott's  No.  101. 

91.  15c  red  orange,  Scott's  No.  102. 

92.  20c  yellow  brown,  Scott's  No.  103. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 
The  King  George  Stamps. 

On  May  6th,  1910,  King  George  V  suc- 
ceeded to  the  throne  but  the  Dominion 
of  Canada  did  not  take  steps  towards 
issuing  a  series  of  stamps  bearing  the 
portrait  of  the  new  monarch  until  some 
time  later.  The  Ic  and  2c  denominations 
were  recorded  in  the  Monthly  Journal  for 
January,  1912,  so  they  were  doubtless  on 


(17 


sale  on  the  1st  day  of  that  month.  The 
other  values — 5c,  7c,  lOc,  20c  and  50c — 
were  placed  on  sale  very  soon  afterwards 
and  we  believe  the  full  series  was  in 
circulation  before  the  end  of  January. 


The  new  stamps  form  a  highly  attrac- 
tive set  and  they  are  without  question 
the  handsomest  set  of  "George"  stamps 
issued  by  any  of  the  British  Colonies. 
The  portrait,  which  shows  His  Majesty 
in  an  admiral's  uniform,  three-quarter 
face  to  left,  is,  as  the  Monthly  Journal 
states  "the  best  portrait  of  King  George 
that  has  yet  appeared  on  stamps."  The 
portrait  is  contained  within  an  oval 
above  which  the  words  CANADA 
POSTAGE  are  curved  in  bold  sans- 
serif  capitals.  Below  is  the  value  ONE 
CEXT,  etc.,  in  words  while  in  each  of 
the  lower  angles  the  value  is  shown  in 
figures  on  a  plain  square  as  in  the  case 
of  the  King  Edward  stamps.  In  the 
upper  corners  are  crowns,  again  like  the 
King  Edward  labels,  but  the  treatment 
of  the  stamp  as  a  whole  is  widely  dis- 
similar. The  portrait  oval  is  smaller 
than  bciore  so  that  in  place  of  the 
almost  microscopical  maple  leaves 
shown  on  the  King  Edward  stamps  we 
now  find  a  spray  of  these  leaves,  beau- 
tifully drawn,  in  each  of  the  lower 
spandrels. 

The  stamps  were  printed  in  sheets 
of  100  as  before  with  the  usual  arrange- 
ment of  marginal  imprint  and  plate  num- 
bers. No  record  seems  to  have  been 
made  of  the  plates  but  that  a  very  large 
number  of  the  2c  at  any  rate  were  used 
is  obvious  from  the  high  numbers 
found. 

The  Ic  and  2c  values  show  a  number 
of  prominent  shades.  Just  a  month 
after  the  stamps  were  first  chronicled  the 
Monthly  Journal  noted  that  the  Ic 
existed  in  two  distinct  shades — "yellow- 
green  and  blue-green".  In  October,  1912, 
the  same  journal  mentioned  the  receipt 
of  the  5c  "in  a  very  markedly  altered 
shade,  deep  ultramarine  instead  of  the 
previous  deep  indigo",  while  in  January, 
191.X  we  read  of  two  very  pronounced 
shades  of  the  2c — bright  carmine  and 
dull  rose-red — in  addition  to  the  usual 
rose-carmine  tint.  In  November,  1913, 
this  denomination  was  noted  in  still  an- 


other   striking    shade    described    as    "al- 
most carmine-lake". 

In  the  February,  1913,  issue  of  the 
Philatelic  Gazette  reference  is  made  to 
these  shades  and  other  varieties  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Collectors  of  shades  should  not  fail 
to  secure  before  it  is  too  late,  the 
interesting  series  of  such  varieties  in 
the  current  King  George  series  of 
Canada.  In  the  1  cent  stamp  four 
distinct  shades  are  noted  and  in  the  2 
cent  value  no  less  than  ten  distinct 
shades  from  a  pale  carmine  rose  to 
deep  carmine  and  from  a  real  brick 
red  to  a  reddish-brown  or  sienna  red. 

Several  "errors"  or  "freaks  of 
printing"  have  appeared,  mostly  in  the 
early  impressions,  caused  probably  by 
the  rush  and  push  of  the  printers  in 
trying  to  meet  the  large  demand.  I 
have  noted  the  following  and  believe 
they  will  be  of  interest  to  collectors : 

1  Cent. — An  accent  between   CANA- 
DA  and    POSTAGE;   also   accents 
between  N  and  D  of  CANADA. 

2  Cent. — The   same  varieties   may  be 
found  on  the  2  cent  stamp  printed 
from  plate  one. 

2  Cent. — On  plate  two  there  appeared 

on    the  97th  stamp    on  the  plate   a 

marked  accent  on  the  C  of  CENTS. 

2    Cent. — In    February,    1912,    some 

few  sheets  were  issued,  having  the  red 

horizontal  guide  lines   running  across 

the  stamps.    These  were  printed  from 

unfinished  plates  from  which  the  guide 

lines  had  not  been  removed.    They  are 

easily   distinguished,   having  the  lines 

about    2    millimeters    apart     running 

across  every  stamp  on  the  sheet.    The 

lines   are  very  plain  where   they   run 

through  the  figures  of  value. — C.  L.  P. 

The  variety  last  described  is  a  very 
interesting  one  which  may  also  be  found 
in  connection  with  the  Ic  denomination. 
To  term  them  guide-lines  and  prints 
from  "unfinished  plates"  is,  however, 
quite  incorrect.  Such  guide-lines  as  are 
marked  on  a  plate  are  only  placed  verti- 
cally or  horizontally  to  correspond  with 
the  top  or  bottom  or  one  of  the  sides  of 
the  stamp  design.  The  lines,  which  we 
are  now  considering,  appear  compara- 
tively close  together  though  they  are  not 
equi-distant,  as  the  above  description 
would  lead  us  to  imagine,  nor  are  they 
always  parallel  or  straight.  They  are 
undoubtedly  due  to  some  inherent  de- 
fects in  the  plates.  Possibly,  in  the  rush 
to  finish  sufficient  plates  to  cope  with 
the  demand  for  the  new  stamps  some 
of  them  were  hardened  too  quickly  with 
the  result  that  the  surfaces  cracked. 


These  defective  plates  were  certainly 
among  the  earliest  ones  used  and  judg- 
ing by  the  scarcity  of  the  stamps  show- 
ing these  peculiarities  they  were  not  in 
use  long  before  they  were  discarded. 

The  Ic  and  2c  values  of  this  series 
were  issued  in  coil  form  for  use  in  auto- 
matic vending  machines.  These  were 
first  issued  in  November,  1912,  perf.  8 
vertically  and  imperforate  at  top  and 
bottom.  In  October,  1913,  the  Ic  was 
issued  perf.  8  horizontally  and  imper- 
forate at  the  sides  and  shortly  afterwards 
the  2c  appeared  in  the  same  way.  These 
coil  stamps  show  quite  a  number  of  dis- 
tinct shades.  The  Ic  in  coil  form  was 
also  issued  with  the  12  perforation  at 
top  and  bottom  and  imperforate  at  the 
sides. 

Reference  List. 

1912.  Engraved  and  Printed  by  the  American 
Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa.  No  wmk. 
Perf.  12. 

93.  Ic  green,  Scott's  No.  104. 

(a)  Perf.  8  vertically,  Scott's  No.  K>4c. 

(b)  Perf.    8   horizontally,    Scott's    Xo. 
104b. 

(c)  Perf.    12   horizontally,    Scott'-    No. 
104a. 

94.  2c  carmine,   Scott's   Xo.  105. 

(a)  Perf.  8  vertically,  Scott's  No.  105a. 

(b)  Perf.    8   horizontally,    Scott's    Xo. 
lOob. 

95.  5c  deep  blue,   Scott's  No.  106. 

96.  7c  olive-yellow,  Scott's  No.  107. 

97.  lOc  dull  purple,  Scott's  No.  108. 

98.  20c   olive-green,   Scott's   No.   109. 

99.  50c   sepia,   Scott's   No.   310. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 
The  War  Tax  Stamps. 

One  result  of  the  European  war  was 
that  Canada,  in  common  with  many 
other  countries,  had  to  impose  special 
taxes.  The  Hon.  W.  T.  White,  Minis- 
ter of  Finance,  outlined  the  various 
tariff  changes  and  special  taxes  in  the 
House  of  Commons,  Ottawa,  on  Febru- 
ary llth,  1915,  and  a  resume  of  the 
chief  items  in  the  new  "budget"  was 
published  in  the  WEEKLY  for  Feb.  7th 
as  follows  : — 

The  tariff  changes  went  into  effect 
at  the  time  of  the  announcement. 
The  special  tax  on  wine  and  cham- 
pagne goes  into  effect  at  once.  The 
other  special  taxes  take  effect  at  a 
date  to  be  yet  fixed.  The  stamp  tax 
on  letters  means  that  the  old  3  cent 
postage  rate  is  restored,  and  a  city 
letter  costs  2  cents. 

There  is  to  be  no  income  tax. 


The  following  are  some  of  the  items 
of  taxation : — 

One  cent  on  telegraph  and  cable 
messages. 

Five  cents  for  every  five  dollars  on 
railroad  and  steamboat  tickets. 

Ten  cents  en  sleeping  car  and  five 
cents  on  parlor  car  tickets. 

One  to  three  dollars  per  passenger 
from  steamboat  companies  carrying  to 
ports  other  than  in  Canada,  New- 
foundland, the  United  States  of 
America,  and  British  West  Indies. 

Two  cents  on  all  bank  checks,  re- 
ceipts and  bills  of  exchange,  express 
and  post-office  orders. 

One  cent  on  postal  notes. 

One  cent  (war  stamp)  on  each  let- 
ter and  postcard. 

Five  cents  per  quart  on  non-spark- 
ling wines  sold  in  Canada,  and  twenty- 
five  cents  per  pint  on  champagne  and 
sparkling  wines. 

One  cent  on  each  twenty-five  cents 
retail  price  of  proprietary  articles. 

The  only  tax  that  has  interest  to  us  as 
philatelists  is  the  one  cent  impost  on  all 
letters  and  postcards.  This  came  into 
effect  on  April  15th,  1915,  and  special 
stamps  were  issued  for  the  purpose. 
These  are  the  regular  Ic  postage  stamps 
of  the  King  George  series  with  the 
words  "WAR  TAX",  in  two  lines,  in 
large  colorless  block  capitals  between 
the  portrait  and  the  value.  As  this  stamp 
collected  a  tax  on  letters  and  postcards 
it  will  undoubtedly  be  considered  col- 
lectible by  the  most  advanced  of  the 
philatelic  purists.  A  2c  value  was  also 
issued  in  this  type  and  while  this  was 
primarily  intended  for  use  on  money 
orders,  checks,  etc.,  it  was  also  quite 
frequently  used  for  postage.  In  fact 
there  seems  to  have  been  no  necessity 
for  these  special  stamps,  for  so  long  as 
a  letter  had  3c  postage  on  it  (or  2c  in 
the  case  of  drop  letters)  the  law  was 
fully  complied  with. 

That  both  the  Ic  and  2c  values  were 
good  for  postage  is  proved  by  the  fol- 
lowing letter  addressed  to  Mr.  Gladstone 
Perry  in  answer  to  an  enquiry  by  him  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
OTTAWA.  22nd  April.  79/5. 
Dear  Sir:— 

I  am  directed  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  your  favour  of  the  19th  inst. 
on  the  subject  of  War  Tax  Stamps. 

In  so  far  as  the  Post  Office  Depart- 
ment is  concerned,  the  War  Tax 
Stamps  have  only  been  issued  in  two 
denominations,  namely  : — the  one  cent 
and  twro  cent. 


69 


The  Two  Cent  War  Tax  Stamp  may 
be  used  on  money  orders,  cheques, 
notes  and  wherever  else  the  tax  on 
that  amount  is  applicable. 

I  would  also  add  that  ordinary  post- 
age stamps  may  also  be  used  to  pay 
the  War  Tax  and  that  Post  Office 
War  Tax  Stamps  are  available  for 
postage  purposes. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 
E.  J.  LEMAIRE,  Superintendent, 
Postage  Stamp  Branch. 

It  was  considered,  however,  that  a 
stamp  which  would  pay  both  postage 
and  tax  would  be  a  great  convenience 
to  the  public  and  in  December,  1915,  a 
stamp  of  this  sort  was  issued.  The 
official  announcement  regarding  these 
was  as  follows  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
OTTAWA,  December  30th,  1915. 
Sir: — I  have  the  honor  to  enclose 
three  specimens  of  a  stamp  which  this 
Department  is  issuing  for  postage  and 
War  Tax  purposes,  having  a  value  of 
three  cents.  This  is  an  ordinary  two 
cent  postage  stamp  surcharged  as  fol- 
lows:  1  T  c  (one  cent  tax).  This  has 
been  issued  in  response  to  the  demand 
of  the  public  for  a  stamp  having  the 
value  of  three  cents  so  that  postage 
and  War  Tax  might  be  paid  by  affix- 
ing one  stamp.  This  stamp  is  of 
permanent  validity. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Sir, 
Your  obedient  servant, 

R.  M.  COULTER, 
Deputy  Postmaster-General. 

The  new  stamps  were  printed  from  en- 
graved plates  as  usual  from  a  special 
die  adapted  from  the  ordinary  2  cent 
stamp.  Upon  the  King's  coat,  immedi- 
ately below  the  portrait  but  within  the 
portrait  oval,  is  engraved  a  capital  "T" 
beneath  the  left  branch  of  which  is  the 
numeral  "1",  and  beneath  the  right 
branch  the  letter  "c"  for  cent.  These 
presumably  came  into  general  use  on 
January  1st,  1916. 

Sometime  in  July  or  August,  1916,  this 
special  3c  stamp  was  reported  as  existing 
with  a  perforation  of  12  at  top  and  bot- 
tom and  8  at  the  sides.  It  was  generally 
presumed  these  were  stamps  from 
sheets  which  had  been  originally  in- 
tended for  coil  use  and  this  was  con- 
firmed in  a  letter  sent  to  a  correspondent 
from  the  Superintendent  of  the  Postage 
Stamp  Branch  at  Ottawa,  viz. : — 

The  explanation  of  this  lies  in  the 
simple  fact  that  owing  to  quick  de- 
liveries of  this  stamp  being  required 
by  the  Department,  the  manufacturers 


were  obliged  to  use  part  of  stock 
which  had  been  prepared  for  roll 
postage  and  perforated  sidewise  with 
the  wide  perforation.  These  sheets 
were  then  perforated  endwise  with 
the  regular  perforation  and  issued. 

It  is  said  that  50,000  of  these  stamps 
were  supplied  to  the  Montreal  Post- 
office  but  whether  this  represents  the 
total  quantity  issued  or  not  we  cannot 
say. 

As  this  3c  tax  stamp  was  in  the  same 
color  as  the  ordinary  2c  label  much  con- 
fusion resulted  and  the  advantage  of 
issuing  the  stamp  in  a  distinctive  color 
was  ultimately  considered  by  the  Post 
Office  Department.  Rumours  that  the 
color  would  be  changed  began  to  circu- 
late early  in  September,  1916,  and  short- 
ly afterwards  the  stamp  made  its  appear- 
ance in  an  attractive  brown  color.  The 
new  stamp  was  apparently  distributed 
late  in  August  and  postmasters  were  in- 
structed not  to  issue  it  until  all  stocks 
of  the  old  3c  in  carmine  had  been  sold. 
The  circular  dealing  with  this  matter  is 
worded  as  follows  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
OTTAWA,  28th  August,  1916. 
TWO-CENT   SURCHARGED   POSTAGE  AND 

WAR  TAX  STAMP. 
The  Postmaster  will  please  observe 
that  the  2c  Surcharged  Postage  and 
War  Tax  stamps,  herewith  enclosed, 
are  printed  in  BROWN  instead  of  in 
RED,  as  formerly.  In  future  these 
stamps  will  be  issued  in  the  colour 
mentioned  so  as  to  overcome  the  diffi- 
culty experienced  owing  to  the  simi- 
larity in  colour  to  the  ordinary  2c 
stamp. 

Before  offering  to  the  public  any  of 
the  new  stamps  it  is  very  desirable 
that  the  old  stock  be  entirely  sold. 

R.  M.  COULTER, 
Deputy    Postmaster-General. 

Reference  List. 

1915-16.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  Ameri- 
can Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa.  No 
wmk.  Perf.  12. 

100.  Ic   green,    Scott's    No.   201. 

101.  2c-flc  carmine,  Scott's   No.  Ii02. 
(a)   Perf.  12x8. 

102.  2c-f-lc  brown. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 
A  Proposed  Commemorative  Series. 

Before  concluding  our  notes  regarding 
the  postage  stamps  proper  of  Canada  it 
will  be  as  well  to  make  brief  reference 


70 


to  a  proposed  commemorative  series 
which,  fortunately  or  unfortunately  as 
one  views  these  special  sets,  never  even- 
tuated. Early  in  1914  proposals  were 
on  foot  to  celebrate  the  one  hundredth 
anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Sir  George 
Etienne  Cartier  by  the  issue  of  a  series 
of  stamps  of  distinctive  designs.  Car- 
tier  was  a  famous  Canadian  premier 
who  was  born  in  Lower  Canada  in  1814. 
Becoming  attorney-general  for  Lower 
Canada  in  1856,  he  was  called  to  form 
the  Carder-Macdonald  ministry  in  1858. 
After  the  fall  of  his  ministry  he  again 
became  attorney-general  in  1864.  A 
fearless  and  upright  leader,  and  a  good 
orator,  he  did  much  for  the  moulding 
of  a  united  Canada.  He  is  also  famed 
as  a  writer  of  French  lyrics,  which  were 
published  in  1875,  two  years  after  his 
death.  Whether  the  stamps  ever  got 
beyond  the  proposal  stage  is  a  moot 
point  but  at  any  rate  a  list  of  chosen 
subjects  was  published,  viz.: — 

1  cent,  Portraits  of  King  George  and 
Queen  Mary. 

2  cents,  The  Cartier  Monument. 
5  cents,  Carders  birthplace. 

7  cents,  Portrait  of  the  Prince  of 
Wales. 

10  cents,  Victoria  Bridge,  inaugurated 
by  Cartier. 

20  cents  .  Canadian  Pacific  Railway 
train  inscribed  "All  Aboard  for  the 
West." 

50  cents.  Carder's  Coat-of-Arms;  mot- 
to, "Franc  et  sans  dol" ;  inscription,  "O 
Canada,  mon  pays,  mes  amours". 

It  was  at  one  time  definitely  announced 
that  the  stamps  would  be  placed  on  sale 
on  June  15th  but  a  correspondent  mak- 
ing enquiry  at  headquarters  was  in- 
formed that  "the  Department  is  not  yet 
decided  to  sell  the  Cartier  stamps." 

As  the  stamps  still  failed  to  make  an 
appearance  a  firm  of  English  stamp 
dealers  wrote  to  the  Canadian  Post- 
Office  department  for  information  and 
received  the  following  reply  : — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA. 
Office    of    the    Superintendent 
of  the  Postage  Stamp  Branch. 
OTTAWA,  29 th  June,  1914. 
Dear    Sirs  : — I   beg   to   acknowledge 
the  receipt  of  your  favor  addressed  to 
the   late    Mr.    Stanton,    and    in   which 
you  ask  information  with  reference  to 
the  proposed  issue  of  stamps  to  com- 
memorate the  centenary  of  Sir  George 
Etienne     Cartier.       The     information 
which    you    have    received    from    out- 
side sources  is  not  only  premature,  but 
inaccurate    in    several    details,    and    I 
can  only  say  that  although  it  is  pos- 


sible that  these  stamps  may  be  issued 
during  the  course  of  the  next  few 
months  the  whole  question  is  still 
under  the  consideration  of  the  De- 
partment. 

Yours  very  sincerely, 
E.  J.  LEMAIRE,  Superintendent. 

Finally,  owing  very  probably  to  the 
war,  it  was  decided  not  to  issue  this 
special  series  of  stamps. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 
Official  Stamps. 

Canada  has  never  issued  special  post- 
age stamps  for  use  on  departmental  cor- 
respondence but  in  November,  1884,  a 
German  paper, — Der  Philatelist — on  the 
advice  of  a  correspondent,  chronicled  a 
series  for  official  use.  These  were  said 
to  consist  of  the  ordinary  adhesives,  two 
envelopes  and  a  post  card  surcharged 
with  the  word  OFFICIAL  in  black.  To 
quote  from  the  Philatelic  Record : — "It  is 
alleged  that  they  were  prepared  and  is- 
sued in  1877,  but  after  a  short  time  were 
called  in  again.  The  surcharges  are  in 
some  cases  oblique,  and  in  others  per- 
pendicular. It  is  at  least  strange  that, 
considering  our  intercourse  with  Canada, 
our  first  knowledge  of  the  issue  of  offi- 
cial stamps  so  far  back  as  1877  should 
reach  us  from  Temesvar,  wherever  that 
may  be". 

Doubts  were,  naturally,  expressed  on 
all  sides  with  regard  to  the  authenticity 
of  these  labels  and  a  letter  addressed 
to  Ottawa  on  the  subject  resulted  in  the 
following  reply: — 

POST  OFFICE  DEPARTMENT,  CANADA, 
OTTAWA,  i8th  May,  1885. 
Sir : — I    am    directed    by    the    Post- 
master-General   to    acknowledge    re- 
ceipt  of  your   letter   of  the  29th   ult., 
enquiring     whether     postage     stamps 
bearing  the  word  "Official"  on  their 
face  are  in  circulation  in  the  Dominion 
of  Canada,  and  beg,  in  reply,  to  say 
that  no   such   stamp,  card,  newspaper 
wrapper,    or    envelope    has    ever   been 
issued  by  this  Department.     I  am,  sir, 
your  obedient   servant, 

(Signed)    WM.  WHITE,  Secretary. 

Two  years  later,  in  April,  1887,  after 
this  canard  had  been  satisfactorily  dis- 
posed of  another  set  of  alleged  official 
stamps  was  referred  to  in  the  Philatelic 
Record  as  follows  : — 

Mr.   Hechler  sent  to  the  Transvaal 
correspondent  of  Major  Evans  a  set 


71 


of  Canadian  stamps  surcharged 
SERVICE,  and  he  certainly  vouched 
for  the  authenticity  of  the  Royal  arms 
and  supporters,  with  the  word  SER- 
VICE on  some  Canadian  envelopes, 
which  he  declared  had  been  issued  to 
the  troops  that  were  sent  out  in  the 
Indian  rebellion  in  1885,  and  with 
whom  Mr.  Hechler  was  serving.  This 
rebellion  did  not  break  out  until  April 
of  that  year,  and  yet  we  find  these 
envelopes  described  in  the  Timbre- 
Poste  of  February  of  the  same  year, 
on  the  authority  of  Der  Philatelist  of 
the  previous  January.  This  all  seems 
to  be  very  remarkable,  especially  as  no 
one  but  Mr.  Hechler  appears  ever  to 
have  had  any  of  them. 

A  little  delving  into  the  history  of 
these  stamps  and  envelopes  soon  showed 
that  they  were  nothing  more  than  a  pri- 
vate speculation  on  the  part  of  their 
sponsor,  Mr.  Hechler.  It  appears  that 
Hechler  was  a  captain  in  a  Volunteer 
regiment  which  was  despatched  to  as- 
sist in  putting  down  the  rebellion.  He 
had  the  words  SERVICE  printed  on  a 
number  of  envelopes,  postcards,  and 
probably  stamps  as  well,  which  were 
used  in  sending  notices  of  drill,  etc.,  to 
his  company.  But  they  were  never 
issued  or  recognised  by  the  Government 
of  Canada. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
The  Special  Delivery  Stamp. 

In  March,  1884,  the  Philatelic  Record 
contained  the  following  paragraph  : — 

We  are  informed  that  there  is  likely 
to  be  issued  shortly  "a  new  ten  cent 
stamp  of  special  design,  which,  when 
attached  to  a  letter,  will  ensure  its 
immediate  delivery  to  its  address  at 
any  free  delivery  office,  between  the 
hours  of  7  a.  m.  and  12  midnight."  A 
similar  system  has,  we  believe,  been  in 
use  for  some  years  in  Belgium,  where 
the  extra  charge  is  paid  in  telegraph 
stamps. 

This  was  certainly  a  case  of  intelligent 
anticipation  for  it  was  not  until  four- 
teen years  later  that  a  stamp  of  this 
character  was  issued  by  the  Dominion  of 
Canada.  The  Postmaster-General's  Re- 
port for  1898  referred  to  the  introduction 
of  the  new  stamp  as  follows : — 

The  calendar  year  has  witnessed  the 
introduction  of  the  special  delivery 
stamp,  whereby  on  the  payment  of  a 


delivery  fee  of  10  cents  in  addition  to 
the  ordinary  postage,  a  letter  immedi- 
ately upon  its  arrival  at  the  office  of 
destination  is  sent  by  special  messen- 
ger for  delivery  to  the  addressee. 

A  special-delivery  stamp  of  the  face- 
value  of  10  cents  was  prepared,  and 
the  first  supplies  thereof  were  sent  out 
sufficiently  early  to  Postmasters  to 
permit  of  the  inauguration  of  the 
special  delivery  service  on  the  1st  July, 
1898.  The  object  of  the  service  is  to 
secure  special  and  prompt  delivery  of 
a  letter  on  which  a  special-delivery 
stamp,  in  addition  to  the  ordinary 
postage,  has  been  affixed. 

The  new  system  was  dealt  with  at 
some  length  in  a  circular  issued  to  post- 
masters under  date  June  7th,  1898,  and 
as  this  is  of  considerable  interest  we 
reproduce  it  below  : — 

The  Postmaster-General  has  ap- 
proved of  arrangements  whereby,  on 
and  from  the  first  of  July  proximo, 
the  senders  of  letters  posted  at  any 
Post  Office  in  Canada  and  addressed 
to  a  City  Post  Office  now  having  Free 
Delivery  by  Letter  Carriers  shall,  OH 
prepayment  by  Special  Delivery  stamps 
of  the  face-value  of  ten  cents,  affixed 
one  to  each  letter,  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  postage  to  which  the  same 
are  liable,  secure  their  special  delivery 
to  the  persons  to  whom  they  are  ad- 
dressed within  the  limits  of  Letter 
Carrier  Delivery  at  any  one  of  the 
following  Post  Offices  in  Cities,  viz. : 
—Halifax,  St.  John,  N.  B.,  Frederic- 
ton,  Quebec,  Montreal,  Ottawa,  Kings- 
ton, Toronto,  Brantford,  Hamilton, 
London,  Winnipeg,  Victoria,  and  Van- 
couver. The  hours  of  delivery  to  be 
within  7  a.  m.  and  11  p.  m.  daily,  ex- 
cept Sunday.  These  hours  are  sub- 
ject to  change  as  dictated  by  local 
circumstances.  Drop-letters  posted  for 
local  delivery,  and  bearing  Special  De- 
livery stamps,  in  addition  to  the  post- 
age, will  also  be  entitled  to  special 
delivery  in  the  same  manner  as  letters 
received  at  the  Post  Office  by  mail. 

Registered  letters  may  likewise 
come  under  the  operations  of  this 
scheme  of  Special  Delivery,  in  the 
same  way  as  ordinary  letters,  provided 
they  bear  Special  Delivery  stamps,  in 
addition  to  the  full  postage  and  the 
registration  fee  fixed  by  law,  and  the 
regulations  respecting  the  record  and 
receipting  of  registered  matter  are 
observed.  In  despatching  registered 
letters  that  bear  Special  Delivery 
stamps,  the  Postmaster  should  write 
prominently  across  the  registered- 


72 


package  envelope  the  words  "For 
Special  Delivery."  When  Special  De- 
livery letters  (unregistered)"  number 
five  or  more  for  any  one  orifice  the 
Postmaster  should  make  a  separate 
package  of  them,  marking  it  "For 
Special  Delivery":  if  such  letters  are 
fewer  than  five,  he  should  place  them 
immediately  under  the  "facing-slip"  of 
the  letter-package  which  he  makes  up, 
either  directly  or  indirectly,  for  the 
Special  Delivery  office  for  which  they 
are  intended,  so  that  the  most  prompt 
attention  may  be  secured  therefor. 

Special  Delivery  stamps  will  be  sold 
at  all  Money  Order  Ppst  Offices  in 
Canada,  (which  may  secure  a  supply 
of  such  stamps  in  the  same  way  as 
ordinary  stamps  are  obtained),  for 
which  the  Postmasters  will  have  to 
account  as  they  do  for  ordinary  stamps 
and  on  the  sales  of  which  a  total  com- 
mission of  ten  per  cent,  shall  be  al- 
lowed to  Postmasters,  except  to  Post- 
masters having  fixed  salaries.  For  the 
present  Postmasters  will  use  the  ex- 
isting forms  of  requisition  in  applying 
for  Special  Delivery  stamps.  (The 
usual  discount  may  be  allowed  to  a 
licensed  stamp  vendor  at  the  time  that 
he  purchases  Special  Delivery  stamps 
from  the  Postmaster).  Special  De- 
livery stamps  are  to  be  cancelled  as 
postage  stamps  are  cancelled.  Stamps 
intended  for  Special  Delivery  are  not 
available  for  any  other  purpose,  and 
the  article  upon  which  one  is  affixed 
must  have,  besides,  the  ordinary  post- 
age prepaid  by  postage  stamps.  Un- 
der no  circumstances  will  Special 
Delivery  stamps  be  recognised  in  pay- 
ment of  postage  or  of  registration  fee, 
nor  can  any  other  stamp  be  used  to 
secure  Special  Delivery,  except  the 
Special  Delivery  stamp.  Special  De- 
livery stamps  are  not  redeemable. 

Letters  intended  for  Special  De- 
livery at  any  one  of  the  City  Post 
Offices  above  mentioned,  and  prepaid 
as  directed,  may  be  mailed  at  any  Post 
Office  in  Canada. 

The  regulations  relating  to  First 
Class  Matter  (Inland  Post)  apply 
also  and  equally  to  Special  Delivery 
letters,  the  only  difference  being  the 
special  treatment  which  the  latter  ic- 
ceive  with  a  view  to  accelerating  their 
delivery. 

The  object  sought  by  the  establish- 
ment of  Special  Delivery, — namely,  the 
special  delivery  of  letters  transmitted 
thereunder, — will  be  much  promoted  if 
the  senders  of  all  such  letters  are  care- 
ful to  address  them  plainly  and  fully, 
giving,  if  possible,  the  street  and 


number  in  each  case.  Such  care  will 
serve  not  only  to  prevent  mistakes,  but 
also  to  facilitate  delivery.  All  em- 
ployees of  the  Post  Office  are  enjoined 
to  expedite,  in  every  way  in  their 
power,  the  posting,  transmission  and 
delivery  of  letters  intended  for  Special 
Delivery. 

These  special  delivery  stamps  are  dis- 
tinctly different  in  design  from  the 
ordinary  postage  stamps,  the  reason  for 
this  being,  of  course,  that  letters  in- 
tended for  special  delivery  may  be  at  once 
identified  and  their  handling  facilitated. 
The  stamps  are  oblong  in  shape,  measur- 
ing about  31  mm.  by  23  mm.  high. 


The  centre  consists  of  an  engine  turned 
oval,  in  the  middle  of  which  is  the  word 
TEN  in  uncolored  block  letters  on  a 
solid  disc  of  color.  Around  this  is  an 
oval  filled  with  lathe-work  and  then 
comes  an  oval  band  inscribed  "SPECIAL 
DELIVERY  WITHIN  CITY  LIMITS" 
in  similar  lettering  to  that  of  the  word 
of  value.  This,  in  turn,  is  enclosed  with- 
in another  oval  of  lathe-work.  The 
frame  shows  "CANADA  POST  OF- 
FICE" in  a  straight  label  across  the  top, 
while  the  lower  and  side  borders  are 
filled  with  lathe-work  intercepted  at  the 
bottom  by  a  straight  label  containing 
"TEN  CENTS",  and  at  each  side  by  a 
small  circle  containing  the  numerals 
"10."  The  spandrels  are  filled  with 
conventional  foliate  ornaments.  The 
value  and  special  use  of  the  stamp  is 
thus  plainly  depicted  and  letters  bearing 
them  are  easily  sorted  from  the  ordi- 
nary mail. 

The  stamps  were,  like  all  other  Can- 
adian stamps,  printed  from  line-en- 
graved plates.  They  were  printed  in 
sheets  of  fifty  arranged  in  ten  horizontal 
rowrs  of  five  each.  The  imprint  and 

plate  number  "OTTAWA No. 1" 

are  shown  in  the  upper  margin  above 
the  central  stamp.  Apparently  this  orig- 
inal plate  is  still  in  use,  for  no  other 
plate  number  has  yet  been  recorded. 

At  first  the  stamps  were  printed  in 
deep  green,  but  in  January,  1906.  the 
Philatelic  Record  mentioned  a  new  shade, 
described  as  blue-green,  and  recent  print- 


73 


ings  have  been  in  a  very  deep  shade  of 
blue-green. 

The  use  of  these  special  delivery 
stamps,  though  somewhat  restricted  at 
first,  soon  grew  steadily  in  volume,  show- 
ing that  the  public  appreciated  the 
special  service.  The  Postmaster-General 
in  referring  to  this  matter  in  his  Report 
for  1899  says:— "The  10  cent  Special 
Delivery  stamps,  to  which  reference  was 
made  in  the  last  report,  can*  into  use 
at  the  beginning  of  the  current  fiscal 
year,  simultaneously  with  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Special  Delivery  Service, 
and  of  this  stamp  52,940  were  issued  to 
meet  the  demands,  which  would  go  to 
show  that  the  service  is  being  availed 
of  to  a  considerable  extent  throughout 
the  country." 

Later  Reports  simply  indicate  the  ex- 
tension of  the  service  to  other  offices, 
though  the  one  for  1908  also  concedes 
that  the  use  of  a  Special  Delivery  stamp 
is  not  compulsory  to  secure  this  service 
so  long  as  the  extra  fee  of  ten  cents  is 
prepaid.  We  read  that : — 

The  regulations  respecting  special 
delivery  have  been  so  modified  that  it 
is  no  longer  necessary  for  a  person 
despatching  a  letter  which  he  de- 
sires to  have  delivered  immediately, 
to  provide  himself  with  the  "special 
delivery"  stamp  issued  by  the  depart- 
ment. He  may  now  place  upon  his  letter 
ordinary  postage  stamps  to  the  value 
of  ten  cents  in  addition  to  the  stamps 
required  for  the  prepayment  of  post- 
age and  write  across  the  corner  of  the 
envelope  the  words  "special  delivery". 
This  will  ensure  the  special  delivery 
of  the  letter  as  provided  for  in  the 
regulations. 

Reference  List. 

1898.     Engraved  and  printed  by  the  American 
Bank   Note  Co.,   Ottawa.     No  wmk. 
Perf.   12. 
103.      lOc  deep  green,   Scott's   No.   160. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The   Registration    Stamps. 

The  convenience  of  the. registry  sys- 
tem was  adopted  in  Canada  in  May, 
1855,  at  which  time  the  fee  was  the  re- 
markably low  one  of  one  penny.  In 
1856  the  system  was  extended  to  "cover 
letters  sent  to  the  United  States  by 
mutual  agreement  between  the  post 
office  departments  of  both  countries, 
and  while  the  domestic  rate  remained 


at  one  penny  the  fee  for  the  registra- 
tion of  letters  to  the  United  States  was 
three  pence.  Mr.  Howes  has  discov- 
ered an  interesting  notice  in  the  Cana- 
dian Directory  for  1857-8  which  gives 
further  details  as  follows : — 

Persons  transmitting  letters,  which 
they  desire  should  pass  through  the 
post  as  "registered  letters",  must  ob- 
serve that  no  record  is  taken  of  any 
letter  unless  specially  handed  in  for 
registration  at  the  time  of  the  post- 
ing. Upon  all  such  letters,  with  the 
exception  of  those  addressed  to  the 
United  States,  one  penny  must  be 
prepaid  as  a  registration  charge.  If 
addressed  to  the  United  States,  the 
ordinary  postage  rate  on  the  letters  to 
that  country  must  be  prepaid,  and  in 
addition  a  registration  charge  of  3d 
per  letter.  The  registry  thus  ef- 
fected in  Canada  will  be  carried  on 
by  the  United  States  Post  Office  until 
the  letter  arrives  at  its  destination. 

In  like  manner,  letters  addressed  to 
Canada  may  be  registered  at  the  place 
of  posting  in  the  United  States,  and 
the  registry  made  there  will  accom- 
pany the  letter  to  the  place  of  deliv- 
ery in  Canada. 

A  certificate  of  registration  will  be 
given  by  the  postmaster  if  required. 

The  registration  system  can  be  ap- 
plied to  the  letter  portion  of  the  mail 
only. 

The  registration  system  at  that  time 
made  no  provision  for  compensation  in 
case  of  the  loss  of  letters,  the  small 
extra  fee  charged  simply  indicating  that 
extra  care  would  be  taken  to  secure 
proper  delivery.  Evidently  at  that  time 
the  fee  was  paid  in  money,  and  the 
letters  then  marked  with  a  handstamp 
of  some  sort,  for  in  the  Postmaster- 
General's  Report  for  1858  we  read,  "It  « 
is  also  considered  that  it  would  be  an 
improvement  on  the  system  if  the 
charge  for  registration  were  made  pre- 
payable by  a  stamp,  instead  of  by  money 
as  at  present."  It  is  probable  that 
shortly  after  this  the  prepayment  of  the 
registry  fee  was  indicated  by  the  affix- 
ing of  stamps  of  the  required  value. 
The  report  for  1860  refers  to  the  sys- 
tem as  follows: — 

A  rate  of  charge  for  Registration 
so  low  as,  in  no  probable  degree,  to 
operate  as  a  motive,  with  persons 
posting  letters  of  value,  to  deny  them- 
selves the  advantage  of  securing  from 
the  Post  Office  an  acknowledgment  of 
the  receipt  of  the  specific  letter,  has 
always  been  considered  to  be  a  cardi- 


74 


nal    point   in    the   Canadian    Registra- 
tion System. 

The  Registration  fee,  or  *  charge, 
has,  therefore,  under  the  influence  of 
this  consideration,  been  maintained  at 
:2  cents,  though  it  is  doubtful  whether 
such  a  rate  of  charge  covers  the 
actual  cost  of  the  process;  the  ad- 
dress of  the  Registered  Letter  hav- 
ing, in  the  course  of  transmission,  to 
be  entered  on  an  average  not  less 
than  six  times,  and  forms  of  certifi- 
cate or  receipt,  and  Books  in  which 
to  preserve  permanent  records  at  each 
Post  Office,  to  be  supplied. 

The  postal  officials  were  evidently 
strong  believers  in  the  Registration 
system  and  lost  no  opportunity  of 
dwelling  on  its  merits.  In  his  Report 
for  1864  the  Postmaster-General  tells 
of  its  manifold  advantages  as  follows :— 
When  a  letter  is  registered,  that  is 
to  say,  marked  and  recorded  in  the 
Post  Office  so  as  to  individualise  it 
from  the  bulk  of  ordinary  letter  cor- 
respondence, its  presence  in  the  Post 
Office  can  be  identified  and  its  course 
of  transmission  traced,  and  a  regis- 
tered letter  is  thus  secured  from  the 
chance  of  abstraction  by  an  unfaithful 
messenger  employed  to  post  it  (as  it 
is  always  open  to  proof  whether  the 
letter  was  posted  for  registration  or 
not),  from  risk  of  loss  by  accidental 
mis-direction  on  the  part  of  the 
sender,  and  from  mistakes  in  the 
Post  Office — such  as  mis-sending  or 
delivery  to  a  wrong  party.  Against 
actual  dishonesty  on  the  part  ©f  the 
Post  Office  employes,  a  registered 
letter  is  incomparably  more  secure 
than  an  unregistered  one,  for  an  un- 
registered money-letter  and  the  nature 
of  its  contents  are,  to  any  person  ac- 
customed to  handle  letters,  as  mani- 
fest as  though  the  letter  had  been 
singled  out  and  marked  by  the  regis- 
tered stamp.  Moreover,  the  safety  of 
an  unregistered  letter  is  dependent 
on  the  integrity  of  a  Post  Office  Clerk 
during  the  whole  time  that  it  remains 
in  his  custody,  frequently  for  hours, 
or  even  days ;  whilst  a  registered 
letter  will  almost  invariably  have  to 
be  acknowledged  at  the  moment  of 
its  passing  into  an  officers  hands,  and 
cannot  thereafter  be  suppressed  with- 
out leaving  him  individually  account- 
able for  its  disposal. 

At  what  date  the  registry  system  was 
extended  to  letters  sent  to  other  coun- 
tries than  the  United  States  is  not  clear 
but  Mr.  Howes  has  succeeded  in  un- 


earthing a   document   which   shows   the 
rates   prevailing  in   1865-6: — 

The  charge  for  Registration,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  Postage,  is  as  follows, 
viz. : — 

On    Letters    to    any    other    place    in 
Canada  or  British  North  America, 

2  cents 
On  Letters  for  the  United  States, 

5  cents 
On  Letters  for  the  United  Kingdom, 

l2l/2  cents 

On    Letters    for    British    Colonies    or 
Possession  sent  via  England, 

25  cents 

On  Letters  for  France  and  other  For- 
eign    Countries     via     England,     an 
equal  amount  to  the  postage  rate. 
Both  the  postage  charge  and  regis- 
tration  fee  must  in  all  cases  be  pre- 
paid. 

It  was  not  until  1872  that  the  idea  of 
issuing  special  stamps  for  the  prepay- 
ment of  the  registration  fee  was  mooted 
but  in  the  Postmaster-General's  Report 
for  that  year  we  read : — 

It  seems  expedient  to  adopt  some 
distinctive  postage  stamp  to  be  used 
only  in  prepayment  of  the  Registra- 
tion charge,  both  to  make  it  clear  that 
this  charge  has  been  duly  paid  and 
accounted  for  in  every  case,  and  to 
diminish  the  risk  which  is  occasion- 
ally felt  at  points  of  distribution  of 
omitting  to  carry  on  the  Registration 
in  cases  where  the  ordinary  Regis- 
tration postmark  is  not  as  distinct 
and  calculated  to  arrest  attention  as 
it  should  be. 

It  has  always  been  the  policy  of 
the  Canadian  Post  Office  to  admit 
letters  to  Registration  at  a  low  rate 
of  charge  for  the  additional  security 
thus  given,  so  as  to  leave  no  adequate 
motive,  on  the  score  of  cost,  for  send- 
ing valuable  letters  through  the  mails 
unregistered,  and,  doubtless,  the  very 
large  proportion  of  such  letters  of- 
fered for  registration  demonstrates  a 
gratifying  measure  of  success  in  at- 
taining the  desired  object. 

In  spite  of  this  recommendation  it 
was  not  until  three  years  later  that 
special  stamps  for  Registration  purposes 
made  their  appearance.  They  were 
finally  placed  on  sale  on  November  15th, 
1875.  and  were  referred  to  by  the  Post- 
master-General in  his  Report  for  that 
year  as  follows  : — 

Registration  stamps  have  been  is- 
sued, to  be  used  by  the  public  in 
prepaying  the  registration  charges  on 


letters  passing  within  the  Dominion, 
or  to  the  United  Kingdom  or  United 
States,  each  destination  being  distin- 
guished by  a  different  color  in  the 
stamp,  as  well  as  by  a  variation  in 
the  amount  of  registration  charge  and 
corresponding  value  of  the  stamp. 

There  is  a  red  stamp  of  the  value  of 
two  cents  for  the  prepayment  of  the 
registration  charges  on  letters  within 
the  Dominion. 

There  is  a  green  stamp  of  five  cents 
value  for  registered  letters  addressed 
to  the  United  States. 

There  is  a  blue  stamp  of  eight 
cents  value  for  registered  letters  ad- 
dressed to  the  United  Kingdom. 

These  stamps  are  to  apply  exclu- 
sively to  the  registration  charges  and 
the  postage  rates  on  registered  letters 
are  to  be  prepaid  by  the  ordinary 
postage  stamps. 

It  is  believed  that  the  use  of  these 
distinctive  stamps  for  the  registration 
charges  will  tend  to  give  registered 
letters  additional  security  against  the 
risk  which  is  sometimes  felt  of  the 
registration  escaping  observation, 
when  such  letters  are  dealt  with  hur- 
riedly or  handled  at  night,  whilst 
passing  through  the  post. 


These  registration  stamps  were  not 
only  of  distinctive  design  but  also  of 
distinctive  shape  so  that  they  were 
readily  recognised  from  ordinary 
postage  stamps.  They  are  long,  narrow 
labels  and  the  design  is  the  same  for 
each.  On  an  engine-turned  back- 
ground the  word  "REGISTERED"  in 
large  uncolored  Roman  capitals  is 
curved  prominently  across  the  centre. 
Below  is  "LETTER  STAMP",  also 
curved  but  in  smaller  letters,  while 
above  is  "CANADA"  on  a  straight  label 
in  still  smaller  lettering.  At  each  end 
are  tables  containing  the  value  in 
words  reading  up  at  the  left  and  down 
at  the  right,  and  in  the  upper  corners 
are  large  uncolored  numerals  plainly 
denoting  the  value.  Like  all  other 
Canadian  stamps  they  were  printed 
from  line-engraved  plates  on  unwater- 
marked  paper.  They  were  at  first 
printed  in  sheets  of  fifty  in  ten  hori- 


zontal rows  of  five  stamps  each.  Mr. 
Howes  describes  the  marginal  details  as 
follows  : — 

The  imprint  was  the  same  as  the 
second  type  employed  for  the  small 
"cents"  issue — "British  American 
Bank  Note  Co.  Montreal"  in  a 
pearled  frame — and  likewise  appeared 
four  times  on  the  sheet,  as  already 
fully  described  in  the  chapter  dealing 
with  that  issue.  The  denomination  of 
the  stamp  was  also  expressed  as  TWO 
CENTS,  in  the  shaded  Roman  capi- 
tals which  we  found  in  the  case  of  the 
postage  stamps,  over  the  first  stamp 
in  the  top  row  of  that  value,  but  with 
the  5  cent  the  word  FIVE  alone  ap- 
pears. The  8  cent  we  have  not  seen. 
On  the  2  cent  there  is  also  a  large 
numeral  2,  iy2  mm.  high,  over  the 
last  stamp  in  the  top  row  (number  5) 
but  the  5  cent  has  none. 

The  stamps  were  ordinarily  perfo- 
rated 12,  like  the  then  current  postage 
stamps,  but  the  2c  in  orange  and  the 
5c  in  dark  green  are  both  known  en- 
tirely imperforate. 

The  Postmaster-General's  Report  for 
1877  stated  that  "the  registration  charge 
on  registered  letters  between  the  United 
Kingdom  and  Canada  has  been  reduced 
from  8  cents  to  5  cents".  This,  natu- 
rally, largely  reduced  the  demand  for 
the  8  cents  stamp  though  it  is  probable 
that  the  8c  rate  still  applied  to  foreign 
countries.  Shortly  afterwards  (the 
exact  date  has  not  been  traced)  the 
registration  fee  on  letters  to  all  foreign 
countries  was  reduced  to  5  cents  so  that 
the  use  of  the  8c  denomination  was 
entirely  abolished.  The  stamps  in  the 
hands  of  postmasters  were  called  in 
and  destroyed  and  by  examining  the 
official  figures  relating  to  the  numbers 
originally  issued  and  those  destroyed 
Mr.  Howes  estimates  that  about  40,000 
of  these  8c  registration  stamps  were 
used. 

In  1889  a  general  revision  of  postal 
rates  took  place,  as  already  explained  in 
Chapter  X,  and  one  of  these  changes 
affected  the  registration  fee.  The  do- 
mestic fee  was  raised  from  2c  to  5c  so 
that  the  registration  charge  was  uni- 
form and  was  5c  on  letters  sent  any- 
where. This,  of  course,  did  away  with 
the  usefulness,  of  the  2c  registration 
stamps  but,  as  indicated  in  the  official 
circular,  "for  the  present,  and  until  fur- 
ther instructed,  the  registration  fee  may 
be  prepaid  by  using  the  2  cent  Regis- 
tration stamps  and  postage  stamps  to 
make  up  the  amount." 


76 


The   Postmaster-General's  Report  for 
.  in  referring  to  the  advance  in  the 
registration  charge,  says  : — 

The  charge  for  the  registration  of 
a  letter,  parcel,  book  or  other  articles 
of  mail  matter  was  also  made  uni- 
form, and  fixed  at  5  cents  for  all 
classes  of  matter.  The  frequent  de- 
lay consequent  upon  the  prepayment 
of  a  wrong  registration  fee  will  no 
longer  take  place. 

The  removal  of  the  printing  estab- 
lishment of  the  British  American  Bank 
Note  Company  from  Montreal  to  Ot- 
tawa resulted  in  some  marked  changes 
in  the  shades  of  the  then  current  postage 
stamps  as  we  have  already  shown  in  a 
previous  chapter.  The  registration 
stamps  were  also  affected  in  some  de- 
gree the  2  cents  value,  in  particular,  ap- 
pearing in  a  number  of  new  and 
brighter  tints.  The  5c  appeared  in  blue- 
green — a  distinct  contrast  from  the 
green  and  yellow-green  shades  previous- 
ly current. 

In  1892  some  of  the  postage  stamps, 
it  will  be  remembered,  appeared  in 
sheets  of  200  instead  of  100  as  formerly. 
About  the  same  period  new  plates  were 
made  for  the  5c  registration  stamp, 
these  containing  one  hundred  impres- 
sions in  ten  rows  of  ten,  instead  of  fifty 
as  before. 

On  August  1st,  1893,  a  regular  post- 
age stamp  of  the  denomination  of  8c 
was  issued  for  the  purpose  of  paying 
the  postage  and  registration  charge  and 
the  appearance  of  this  sounded  the 
death  knell  of  the  special  registration 
stamps.  The  supplies  in  the  hands  of 
postmasters  were  used  up  and  when  ex- 
hausted no  more  were  printed. 

Much  has  been  written  regarding  the 
2c  registration  stamp  printed  in  brown. 
These  were  originally  found  at  the 
Miscou  Light  House  Post  Office  in  New 
Brunswick  and  though  the  stamps  were 
in  an  unmistakably  dark  brown  shade  it 
has  since  been  satisfactorily  proved  that 
the  change  was  quite  accidental  and  that 
immersion  in  peroxide  would  restore 
them  to  their  original  color.  Although 
the  Postmaster  of  the  above  named  of- 
fice is  said  to  have  stated  that  the 
stamps  were  in  brown  when  he  received 
them  there  is  little  doubt  he  must  have 
been  mistaken.  Much  the  same  thing 
happened  in  connection  with  the  current 
six  cents  United  States  stamps  at  an 
office  on  the  Pacific  Coast  (San  Pedro). 
Some  of  these  stamps  were  found  in  a 
distinct  brown  shade  almost  exactly 


matching  that  of  the  4c  value  and 
though  some  local  collectors  had 
dreams  of  a  rare  error  of  color  it  was 
easily  proved  that  they  were  simply 
oxidised. 

Reference  List. 

1875-89.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  British 
American  Bank  Note  Co.,  Montreal 
or  Ottawa.  No  wmk.  Perf.  12. 

I(i4.        2c   vermilion,   Scott's   Nos.   151   or   1:">2. 

Kir,.       5c   green,    Scott's   No.    ir>:;. 

lor,.        Sc   blue.    Scott's    Xo.    1",4.  / 


CHAPTER  XXX. 
The  Postage  Due  Stamps. 

Like  most  other  countries  Canada 
managed  to  collect  the  postage  due  on 
insufficiently  prepaid  mail  matter  for 
many  years  without  the  use  of  special 
stamps  for  the  purpose.  About  1906  it 
dawned  on  the  Post  Office  Department 
that  the  use  of  special  stamps  would 
simplify  matters  and  place  the  collec- 
tion of  monies  due  on  a  more  systematic 
basis.  Consequently  a  circular  was  is- 
sued to  postmasters,  under  date  of  June 
1st,  1906,  advising  them  that  postage 
due  stamps  would  be  issued  and  must, 
for  the  future,  be  used  in  collecting  in- 
sufficient postage.  The  salient  points 
from  this  circular  are  given  by  Mr. 
Howes  as  follows  : — 

Commencing  on  the  1st  July,  1906, 
the  present  system  of  collecting  un- 
paid postage  will  be  discontinued  and 
thereafter  the  following  arrangements 
will  supersede  the  regulations  now  in 
force : — 

(1)  The    Department   will   issue   a 
special  stamp  which  will  be  known  as 
the  "POSTAGE  DUE"  stamp  and  on 
delivery  of  any  article  of  mail  matter 
on  which  unpaid  or  additional  postage 
is  to  be  collected  the  Postmaster  will 
affix    and   cancel    as    ordinary    stamps 
are  cancelled,  postage  due  stamps  to 
the     amount     of    the    extra    postage 
charged  on  such  article. 

(2)  The   short   paid   postage   must 
be   collected    from   the   addressee   be- 
fore postage  due  stamps  are  affixed; 
otherwise  the   Postmaster  is  liable  to 
lose  the  amount  of  such  postage. 

(3)  Postmasters   will   obtain  post- 
age due  stamps  on"  requisition  to  the 
Department  but  the  initial  supply  will 
be    furnished    without    requisition,    so 
that    the    new    system    may    go    into 


77 


operation  on  the  date  above  men- 
tioned. When  a  new  form  is  ordered 
"postage  due"  stamps  will  be  included 
in  the  printed  list,  but  it  is  proposed 
to  use  the  stock  on  hand  at  present 
which  would  otherwise  have  to  be  de- 
stroyed. The  denominations  of  the 
new  stamps  will  be  1,  2  and  5  cents. 

In  his  Report  for  1906  the  Post- 
master-General refers  to  the  new  inno- 
vation as  follows : — 

A  system  of  accounting  for  short 
paid  postage  collected  by  Postmasters, 
by  means  of  special  stamps  known  as 
"Postage  Due"  stamps,  has  been 
adopted  by  the  Department.  These 
stamps  are  to  be  affixed  to  shortpaid 
mail  matter  and  cancelled  by  Post- 
masters when  such  matter  is  delivered 
to  the  addressee,  and  are  not  to  be 
used  for  any  other  purpose.  They 
cannot  be  used  for  the  payment  of 
ordinary  postage,  'nor  are  they  to  be 
sold  to  the  public. 


These  stamps  are  of  special  design 
and  though  of  the  same  size  as  the 
regular  postage  stamps  the  design  is 
printed  the  longer  way  so  that  in  gen- 
eral appearance  they  are  greatly  differ- 
ent. The  design  has,  as  its  centerpiece, 
a  large  uncolored  numeral  on  an  eight- 
sided  tablet.  Above  is  CANADA  and 
below  is  the  word  CENT  while  at  the 
sides  are  elaborate  scroll  ornaments. 
Across  the  base  the  words  POSTAGE 
DUE  are  shown  in  bold  uncolored  capi- 
tals while  the  balance  of  the  design  con- 
sists of  an  engine-turned  groundwork. 

They  are  printed  from  line-engraved 
plates  in  sheets  of  one  hundred,  as  usual. 
In  the  centre  of  the  top  margin  is  the 
imprint,  "OTTAWA",  followed  by  the 
plate  number.  Mr.  Howes  states  that 
plate  1  is  known  for  all  three  values 
and  plate  2  for  the  2  cent  only. 

Reference  List. 

1906.  Engraved  and  printed  by  the  Ameri- 
can Bank  Note  Co.,  Ottawa.  No 
wmk.  Perf.  12. 

107.  Ic   dull   violet,   Scott's    No.    126. 

108.  2c  dull  violet,  Scott's  No.  127. 
100.        5c  dull  violet,  Scott's  No.  128. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
The  "Officially  Sealed"  Labels. 

Although  "officially  sealed"  labels  can- 
not by  any  stretch  of  the  imagination 
be  considered  as  postage  stamps  or,  in- 
deed, of  having  any  philatelic  signifi- 
cance yet  they  are  collected  by  many, 
in  common  with  adhesive  registered 
labels,  as  having  an  interest  owing  to 
the  fact  that  they  are  visible  evidence 
of  one  phase  of  the  working  of  the  post 
office.  The  "officially  sealed"  labels 
used  by  the  Canadian  Post  Office  seem 
to  have  been  first  recorded  in  the  latter 
part  of  1879.  The  first  type  consists  of 
a  rectangular  label,  measuring  about 
25^  by  38  mm.  on  which  the  words 
"OFFICIALLY  SEALED"  are  shown 
straight  across  the  centre.  Above  this, 
in  a  curve,  is  the  inscription  "POST 
OFFICE  CANADA",  while  below,  in  a 
similar  curve,  is  "DEAD  LETTER 
OFFICE".  The  border  consists  of  a 
handsome  piece  of  engine-turned  en- 
graving. These  labels  were  normally 
perforated  12  but  they  are  also  known 
entirely  imperforate.  Much  misconcep- 
tion existed  as  to  the  use  of  these  labels 
until  Major  E.  B.  Evans,  when  visiting 
Canada  in  1889,  took  the  opportunity  of 
finding  out  exactly  for  what  they  were 
used.  The  results  of  his  investigations 
were  published  in  the  Philatelic  Record 
for  November,  1889,  and  as  the  article 
is  full  of  interest  we  need  make  no 
apology  for  reproducing  it  in  extenso: — 

When  I  was  in  Canada  last  July  I 
made  special  enquiries  about  these 
labels,  as  there  appeared  to  be  some 
mystery  about  their  use.  Everyone 
agreed  that  they  were  not  placed 
upon  all  letters  opened  at  the  Dead 
Letter  Office  and  returned  to  their 
senders,  and  no  two  persons  seemed 
to  have  quite  the  same  theory  as  to 
the  rules  for  their  employment  or 
non-employment  in  any  particular 
case.  Even  gentlemen  connected 
with  the  Post  Office  at  Halifax,  such 
as  Mr.  King  and  others,  could  give  me 
no  definite  information.  I  therefore 
determined  to  see  what  I  could  do  at 
headquarters  in  Ottawa. 

Fortunately,  I  was  able,  through  a 
collector  in  an  official  position,  to  ob- 
tain an  introduction  to  the  Deputy 
Postmaster-General,  who  most  kindly 
gave  me  the  following  particulars, 
which  show  that  the  employment  of 
the  officially  sealed  labels  is  very  re- 
stricted, thus  accounting  for  their 
rarity. 


78 


Letters  in  Canada,  as  in  the  United 
States,  very  frequently  have^  on  the 
outside  the  well-known  notice  con- 
taining the  address  of  the  sender,  and 
a  request  that  the  letter  may  be  re- 
turned if  not  delivered  within  a  cer- 
tain time.  These,  of  course,  are  not 
opened  at  the  Dead  Letter  Office,  and 
in  fact,  I  think,  are  ordered  not  to 
be  sent  there,  but  are  returned  direct 
from  the  office  to  which  they  were 
originally  addressed  or  from  the  head 
office  of  the  district.  On  the  other 
hand,  those  that  have  no  indication 
of  the  address  of  the  sender  on  the 
outside  are  sent  to  the  Dead  Letter 
Office,  and  there  necessarily  opened; 
but  neither  of  these  classes  thus 
properly  dealt  with  is  considered  to 
require  the  officially-sealed  label.  It 
is  only  if  one  of  the  former  class, 
having  the  sender's  name  and  address 
on  the  outside,  is  sent  to  the  Dead 
Letter  Office  and  there  opened  in 
error  that  the  officially-scaled  label  is 
applied,  to  show  that  such  letter  has 
been  opened  officially,  and  not  by  any 
unauthorized  person.  Whether  these 
pieces  of  gummed  paper  ever  had  a 
more  extended  use  or  not  I  cannot 
say,  but  I  was  assured  that  the  above 
was  the  substance  of  the  regulations 
as  to  their  employment. 

The  Deputy  Postmaster-General 
further  stated  that  there  had  been  so 
many  requests  for  specimens  of  these 
labels  that  the  Department  had  been 
obliged  to  make  it  a  rule  to  turn  a 
deaf  ear  to  all  of  them.  In  any  case 
they  are  not  postage  stamps,  properly 
speaking,  at  all.  They  indicate 


neither  postage  paid  nor  postage  due, 
but  simply  that  the  letters  to  which 
they  are  attached  have  been  opened 
by  proper  authority,  and  they  at  the 
same  time  afford  a  means  of  reclosing 
them. 

About  1905  a  label  of  new  design  was 
introduced,  this,  of  course,  being  the 
work  of  the  American  Bank  Note  Com- 
pany. These  are  larger  than  their 
predecessors  and  are  very  handsome 
labels.  In  the  centre  is  an  excellent 
portrait  of  Queen  Victoria,  adapted 
from  the  "Law  Stamps"  of  1897,  with 
"CANADA"  in  heavy  uncolored  Roman 
capitals  curved  above,  and,  at  the  top, 
the  words  "OFFICIALLY  SEALED" 
in  letters  so  graded  that  the  tops  form 
a  straight  line,  while  the  bottoms  follow 
the  curve  of  "CANADA".  Under  the 
portrait  the  words  "DEAD  LETTER" 
are  shown  on  a  straight  label  which  ex- 
tends right  across  the  stamp,  while  be- 
low this  is  the  word  "OFFICE"  on  a 
curved  tablet.  The  spaces  at  the  sides 
and  the  bottom  are  filled  with  elaborate 
foliate  ornaments  and  engine-turned 
work.  These  labels  are  also  perfo- 
rated 12  and  exist  on  two  kinds  of 
paper.  Until  about  1907  the  paper  was 
of  a  pale  blue  color  while  subsequent 
printings  have  been  on  ordinary  white 
paper. 

Reference  List. 

1879.     Engraved    and    printed    by    the    British 

American  Bank   Note  Co. 
(Xo  value)  deep  brown. 

1905-7.     Engraved   and   printed  by   the    Ameri- 
can   Bank    Note    Co. 
(No    value)    black   on    blue   paper. 
(No    value)    black    on    white    paper. 


THE  END. 


MY    SPECIALTY    IS 

20th  Century 

English  Colonials 

United   States 

AND 

New  Issues 


LARGE    STOCK    OF 

King   Edward   Heads 

King  George  Heads 

New  Issues 

Always    On    Hand 
SEND    YOUR    WANT     LISTS 


FRANK  M.  MASON 


Box  1462, 


PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 


POPULAR     HANDBOOKS 

CANAL  ZONE— A  specialized  study  of  these 
stamps  by  Wm.  Evans,  M.  D.  Illus.  Pr.  20c. 

DEALER  AND  HIS  STOCK— By  Bill  Bloss 
A  useful  book  for  any  stamp  dealer.  Pr.  IGc. 

OAXACA— By  Roderick  Enfield.  Hand 
somely  illustrated  and  printed.  Price  lOc. 

RANGE  TALES— By  E.  B.  Hill.  Seventeen 
complete  sketches  of  Arizona  life  into  which 
nhilately  is  woven  by  the  hand  of  an  artist. 
Illus.  Price  15c.  A  work  of  art. 

3  CENT  GREEN  1870-87— By  H.  L.  Wiley. 
A  very  fine  study.  Profusely  illus.  Pr.  12c. 

STAMPS  OF  OLD  GERMAN  STATES— 
By  Poole,  freely  illustrated.  Price  35c. 

GERMANY  AND  ITS  COLONIES— By 
Poole.  Freely  illus.  70  pps.  Price  25c. 

U.  S.  PARCEL  POST,  STAMP  BOOKLETS 
and  POSTAL  SAVING  STAMPS— Three 
books  in  one  by  H.  L.  Wiley.  Price  25c. 

U.  S.  STAMPED  ENVELOPES— By  Louis 
G.  Barrett  and  J.  M.  Bartels.  1853-1913 
fully  illustrated.  22  cuts.  Price  lOc. 

THE  STAMPS  OF  COOK  ISLANDS— By 
Poole.  The  only  handbook  published  on 
these  stamps.  Illustrated.  Price  15c. 

STAMP  COLLECTORS'  GUIDE— By  Poole 
Absolutely  necessary  to  every  collector. 
Every  chapter  full  of  merit.  Price  25c. 

HOW  TO  DEAL  IN  STAMPS— A  three  part 
book  by  Grant,  Wylie  and  Smith,  all  ex- 
perienced at  the  business.  Price  lOc. 

SPECIALIZED  STUDY  OF  U.  S.  STAMPS 
—  By  F.  E.  Goodwin.  All  adhesives  fully 
covered.  A  book  of  great  merit.  Price  50c. 

GAMBIA— By   Dalwick.      Illus.      Price  lOc. 

HAWAII— A  fine  book  by  Luff,  Howes  and 
Richards.  Two  colors  and  illus.  Price  lOc. 

EGYPT— By  Dalwick.      Illus.      Price  12c. 

U.  S.  DEPT.  STAMPS— By  Goodwin.  All 
U.  S.  collectors  need  it.  Price  lOc. 

U.  S.  GRILLS  1867  to  187&— By  W.  L.  Ster- 
enson.  Illus.  Blank  pages  for  notes.  Pr.  lOc. 

VIRGIN  IDS.— Rv  Halwick.     Price  10c. 

SEVERN  -  WYLIE  -  JEWETT   CO.,      BOSTON,   MASS. 


C.   G.   DIETRICH 

212  Broadway,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

Entrance  Fulton  Street 

Member  A.  P.  S.,  Dresden  Philatelic 
Society,  Berlin  and  Vienna  Dealers' 
Association,  offers  his  superb  stock 
of  medium  and  rare  stamps  of  all 
countries.  Moderate  Prices  —  Fine 
copies  only. 

SPECIALTIES 

British,  British  Colonials 
Used  and  Unused 
19th  and  20th  Century 

SEND     WANT    LISTS 

Approval  selections  sent  to  responsible  collectors 


B.N.A. 


This  is  my  specialty, 
and  I  can  supply  good, 
clean  copies  of  most 
varieties  at  reasonable 
prices.  I  have  also 
other  British  Colonials 
and  many  nice  foreign. 
Give  me  good  reference 
and  I  will  be  pleased 
to  send  you  a  selection 
on  approval. 


W.  W.  WALSH 

Roy  Building 
HALIFAX,     NOVA     SCOTIA 


CANADA 


tipy   fair 


i.y    fair    ...................   6.50 

f 


Unusc.'.  I  's.-«! 

l.:>it 
2.50 
4.50 
.12 

.or, 


py    perf 
1  N.V.J.  i«;      ...........................  60 

5c    ...........................  50 

lOc    shades    ..................  :j.7.'» 

1  s5;>  15-1,  2c  fair    .....................  c,r. 

12ic     ........................  2.50  .50 

124c  No.  iihi    ................   2.50  .60 

1868,  Jc"  ...........................  IT,  .20 

lc     ...........................  90  .:JO 

2i-     ....................  ,  .....   1.2",  .25 

3c     ..........................   1.10  .08 

6c    shades    ..................  3.00  .38 

124c    shades    .................  2.00  .40 

15c    ...........................  60  .2.-, 

l.V    No.    27a    .................   3.00  .35 

is.;i..  ic    ..........................  2.00  .50 

lc  No.  31a   ..................   2.7.-I  .''."• 

isc.'.i  -72.  lc   orange    ...............   1.75  .15 

ls72-7:$.    6c     .......................  70  .05 

lOc    shades    ..................   2.00  .40 

1875.  oc     ...........................   2.00  .85 

15c     .  .60  .18 

isxiMlO,  3c   No.  42a    ...............  60  .06 

6c    ...........................  so  .or 

lOc    shades    ..................   1.00  .18 

isuiMiS,  20c    .......................  40  .08 

50c    ...........................  80  .10 

8c    shades    ...................  75  .04 

A  complete   line  of  Canada   Revenues  in 
stamps  write  us  for  a  selection. 

All  the  cheaper  varieties  in  stock  at  low 


Unused. 

2.". 


1M»7,    Jubilee    4c    

(JO 

8c     .",0 

lOc     35 

15c     :U5 

20c     45 

50c     75 

Set  A-50c    :;.oo 

Complete    Set     17.50 

1897, 6c    18 

8c     is 

lOc     2N 

1898,  6c    25 

8c  shades  22 

lOc     22 

7c    No.    88    15 

20c  No.  87   60 

Map-shades     05 

1903-08,  2c   No.  90a    05 

20c     30 

50c     75 

Complete   set    1.40 

Set   Quebec    1.10 

Set  King  Geo 1.25 

Set    dues    15 

Special    Del 18 

40  var.   Postage  only   

50    var.    Postage    only    

60    va  r.    Postage    only    

10   var.   War  Tax    


US.'d 

.60 
.18 
,20 

.40 

.30 
2.40 

12.00 
.10 

!22 
.20 
.15 
M 
.07 
.15 
.02 
.04 
.04 
.15 
38 

.no 
.20 

.03 

.06 

.60 

1.00 

1.50 

.30 


stock.     If     you     collect     these    interesting 


prices.     Send  for  complete  list. 


NEWFOUNDLAND 


Unused.  Used 

1857,  Ipy     $1.35  $3.00 

5py 1.75  4.00 

Spy  No.  5a   3.50  4.50 

1866,  2c     75  .65 

5c  fair  5.50  3.50 

lOc    2.15  1.25 

12c     60  .55 

13c     1.00  .85 

24c     70  .65 

lsr.7-73,  lc  No.  30   1.25  1.00 

lc  No.  30a   1.50  1.25 

3c    No.   31    2.60  1.75 

:;.-    No.   32    2.00  .50 

6c     15  .15 

1876,  lc     1.75  1.25 

2c     1.00  .70 

3c     1.75  .50 

5c     1.25  .35 

1  sso.  lc  shades   20  .13 

2c     :55  .25 

5c     .                                                  .   1.00  .20 


Unused.  Used 
1NS7.  4c  to  lOc    ...................   1.85      .90 

1890-9~5,  5c    ........................  18       .13 

6c     ...........................  30       .32 

Re-Issue    Set    ....................  1.60     1.50 

Jubilee  Set   ......................  3.75    3.25 

1  on  3c   No.  75   ...................  55       .50 

1897,  lc   rose    ......................  04       .04 

2c    orange    ...................  08       .07 

1898,  set    ..........  ................  20 

1801,    4c    ..........................  07 

Guy   4c    ...........................  11 

Guy   lOc    ..........................  60 

Eng.    6c    ..........................  40 

Eng.    8c    ..........................  80 

Eng.    lOc    .........................  80 

Eng.  15c  ..........................  70 

I'.lll  Coronation  complete  ........  3.00 


.10 
.06 
.07 
.50 
.30 
.60 
.65 
.60 
2.00 


Other  varieties  in  stock.     Ask  for  our  B. 
N.  A.  list—  It's  free  on  request. 


Terms:— Cash   with   order  only.     10^   discount  on  orders   over  $5.00.     Postage  extra 
on    orders    under    $1.00.     Registration    5c    extra.     Stamps    returnable    where    condition    is 

unsatisfactory. 


STAMPS    ON     APPROVAL 

Our  books  are  arranged  in  tive  different  grades,  which  will  suit  all  classes  of  col  - 
lectors  from  the  Beginner  to  the  Specialist.  All  sorts  of  stamps;  all  kinds  of  prices;  but 
only  one  result  to  you — SATISFACTION.  Ask  for  circular  describing  our  Selections 
or  send  commercial  reference  for  a  trial  selection. 


MARKS    STAMP    CO. 

The  House  of  Stamp  Bargains 
TORONTO  ...  CANADA 


Approval 
Department 


t|  Special  attention  is  paid  to  the  Approval 
Department  of  my  business,  which  is  under 
my  personal  supervision. 

€]  The  most  satisfactory  manner  in  which  to 
purchase  stamps  is  from  approval  books  when 
the  collector  has  the  opportunity  of  inspecting 
the  specimens  at  his  leisure.  My  stamps  are 
all  arranged  in  books  by  countries,  mounted 
and  arranged  according  to  the  latest  edition 
of  Scott's  catalogue.  Above  each  stamp  the 
catalogue  number  and  price  is  plainly  shown 
and  below  my  net  selling  price  is  marked. 

IJ  These  books  contain  unused  and  used 
stamps,  several  copies  of  the  same  variety  being 
included  wherever  possible  so  that  the  collector 
has  ample  choice.  All  minor  varieties  of  shades, 
watermarks,  perforation,  etc.,  are  included  as 
well  as  occasional  pairs  and  blocks  of  four. 
Prices  are  most  reasonable  and  average  about 
half  catalogue.  As  most  of  these  books  are  of 
considerable  value  they  can  only  be  sent  to 
collectors  well  known  to  me  or  to  those  supply- 
ing first  class  references. 


Specialists 


<J  A  cordial  invitation  is  extended  to  all 
advanced  collectors  and  specialists  to  acquaint 
me  of  their  special  countries.  I  continually 
have  rare  and  out-of-the-way  items  in  stock 
and  shall  be  glad  to  send  particulars  of  these 
to  interested  clients. 


B.   W.   H.    POOLE 

312  Washington  Building,  LOS   ANGELES,   CAL. 


Binder 
Guvlord  Bros..  Inc. 

Stnckton,  Calif. 
T.  M.  Reg.  U.S.  Pat.  Off. 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


THIS  BOOK  IS  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 


AN  INITIAL  FINE  OF  25  CENTS 

WILL  BE  ASSESSED  FOR  FAILURE  TO  RETURN 
THIS  BOOK  ON  THE  DATE  DUE.  THE  PENALTY 
WILL  INCREASE  TO  SO  CENTS  ON  THE  FOURTH 
DAY  AND  TO  $1.OO  ON  THE  SEVENTH  DAY 
OVERDUE. 


OCT  21    1944 
MAY    8    W 


JAN  34  1948 


